


Searching For The Truth

by MMPRPink



Series: The Lost Child of Zordon Universe [5]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Expect Indiana Jones and Lara Croft References, F/M, Kevin Hart is like Richard Croft, Kimberly still has PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 115,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MMPRPink/pseuds/MMPRPink
Summary: Kimberly 'Kara' Hart ends up mentoring a new team of rangers, while searching for her father and completing his unfinished research with Andrew Hartford.





	1. The Corona Aurora

_"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page."_

\- Saint Augustine

* * *

 Legend:

**Bold: Flashbacks/Nightmares**

_ Italics/Underline: Time/Scene/Day & Year Change/Spirits & Animal Spirits communicating _

_Italics: Character Perspective/Character Thoughts (No POV only)/Speaking via communicators and/or transmissions_

* * *

 Prologue: The Corona Aurora

* * *

_ 12:00… _

_ Saturday… _

_ 12th May 2006… _

Canon: _Pre-Kick Into Overdrive_

( _Scene: Hidden Cave Network, Underneath Scottish Medieval Castle, Scotland, Europe, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I ran through the underground cave network, after stumbling across it while myself and my former Archaeology lecturer and billionaire: Dr. Andrew Hartford were exploring. We finally managed to pinpoint… not exactly pinpoint but find the location of the Corona Aurora. An ancient crown, bearing five coloured gems: red, yellow, blue, black and pink. After working together, we finally managed to make sense of my father's cryptic notes. Andrew opened the secret tunnel by pulling a hidden switch, behind the suit of armour. Once I entered, a trap triggered, separating myself and Andrew. I momentarily took my mind off the past as I dived for the next chamber. Somehow, I managed to set off the very trap when I entered, that sent boulders on top of me as well, I didn't hear the weight of my gear clang to the ground. Andrew decided to stay back, head to the four by four jeep and monitor my movements because he felt my old ranger instincts will keep me alive; and I do have a second pair of eyes: Rhea, who failed to see the trap! Second pair of eyes my ass. I pulled myself up, wiping the dirt off my hiking pants and checking if my tracker isn't damaged. So, what was I saying? Oh yes! Andrew and I managed to decipher my father's notes, with some help from my husband Tommy, the longest and best serving ranger. He's famous among the ranger circle for bearing the most colours: green, white, red and black, along with Hayley and Billy.

We got married before Christmas last year, invited a good majority of our parents and the past rangers. Jason, as my surrogate brother, was chosen as Best Man; Aisha was fine with me picking Trini as Maid of Honour, while she, Kat and Tanya were the bride's maids. No hard feelings there and it saved me from playing referee between two Yellow Rangers. On top of that, Andros got Aria and Dulcea to come down for the wedding ceremony; my uncle would have come, but questions would be asked. He opted that we send of video of the ceremony to him. After the wedding, Tommy and I also had to go through the traditional Eltarian ceremony. It did lead to some arguments, I had a good verbal fight with the Eltarian Council, while having my aunt, uncle and mother backing me up. I even had Jason and the others over on my home planet too and they hated the fact the Council did not approve the union of an Eltarian and a ' _feeble_ ' Earthling. It was so discrimative and narrow minded of them. Let's just say, Tommy was getting a spout of verbal abuse, along with Cassie, especially as they had no high standing or equivalent to noble on Earth. However, seeing none of us were budging, the Council gave in with reluctance, but it didn't affect my standing with the army. I'm just on icy terms with the Council itself now. Back to the main subject, while he was reluctant to let me go to Andrew's mansion in San Angeles, he was accepting that I needed to do this on my own; therefore, Tommy is taking care of Rex for me. I swear, that dog is going to be odd with me for a while, nothing but a few treats will do the trick. Though… if Rex isn't odd with me, he's going to be glued to my side; not literally. He does get a little needy and clingy sometimes.

I turned on the flashlight attached to my backpack, to illuminate the cavern. Let there be light, they say. If you're wondering who Rex is, he's my service dog and why does a former Power Ranger need a service dog? I still have Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, it sort of built up over the years. It started when Ivan Ooze almost succeeded in killing my father: the powerful, Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar, I hope the Spirit World is treating him well; and destroyed our Command Centre, which in a way, violated our home. I never did open up to my friends how much that incident affected me. Second was Muranthias, last time I promised myself that I would go on a ' _relaxing_ ' trip with my big brother Jason Scott; Original Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger. Being turned evil was not fun, particularly for Tommy and Kat. It was Tommy in the end, of course, to set me free. That wasn't the end of it, I was left a little reminder that I was under Maligore's control, he left me an alter ego named Firebird. Trust me, you do not want to meet her. The final straw was _Countdown To Destruction_ , I was on the frontline of the battle for Eltar, even leading the army, beside my mother: Aria, as a Lieutenant. I lost too many friends and comrades, the closest friend I lost was Bohan. I'm slowly coming to terms with his death, it was the toughest on me. He was like another Jason, he was my brother. Those three events is what led to me having PTSD. Then I blamed myself for almost destroying Reefside when Mesogog set Firebird free and after that, was the little trip to Parallel Earth, where I wasn't freed of Firebird's control. She managed to defeat every single team, make them powerless and used the Power Coins to create her Ranger Solider Battalion. My team aided the rebels and defeated their tyrannical ruler and killed her, I literally killed myself, stabbing the other Kimberly through the heart with the Dragon Dagger. It sort of scared me, the thought that could have been me, on our own Earth. I shudder to think about situations on other Earths, where… I am evil, without Firebird in control. Is there another Kimberly out there, who went through so much tragedy it made her snap or a world where Tommy and I swapped places? The Multiverse is fascinating as it is scary.

Suddenly, I stopped in front of the next chamber, finding a stone pedestal with an engraving on it. There was dust and dirt all over it, so I wiped my hand across it, to reveal the writing underneath. If Zach finds out that I'm out of Reefside, hearing I have gone Indiana Jones or Lara Croft from _Tomb Raider_ , I will never hear the end of it from him! He will most likely baptise me with the title of - Kimberly Hart: Power Raider or that kind of bullshit? I told Rhea to remind me to kill him if he does, she gladly agreed; now I wonder if I should be worried or not. Nah, I won't be sorry for either him or his Dimosaur Spirit. Returning my attention to the pedestal, I read the writing that was written in another langauge. It's Ancient Greek, which caused me to frown, why was it buried in the rural and isolated part of Scotland? If I remember my father's notes, the Crown of the Gods, its name translates to, originated from Greece. What caused the original owner to move it all the way here? On Scottish lands? Pushing aside side questions, I began to translate the tablet, too bad some of it was worn away, I could just about make out the writing. Something about trials and only the ones worthy can retrieve the power that can might the Gods themselves. Trials… fuck! Damn it Hartford! You could have warned me about that.

Taking a deep breath, I moved onto the next chamber, where the first trial is set. The chamber was a long eerie corridor, covered in thick spider webs. Oh man! Zach will probably faint at the sight. That was when I felt something crawl up my shoulder and the feeling is familiar, except the movement were slow and there was slight weight on the legs. Turning my head, I see a large tarantula, with a span of four inches; including leg span, on my shoulder! Dear god! Too many eyes! The bloody thing had hairs all over, that can be used as a weapon and the fangs… the fangs! I could see them! I instantly reacted by flicking it off. Fuck! My entire body shivered, I'm going to have nightmares for a week! Who the hell imported tarantulas to Scotland!? Zach would faint without a doubt. What is it about this particular trial? I pulled out my father's notes, seeing that he managed to figure out a way to pass the trials, without becoming another death number. I can't believe I'm only reading it now, there was no time before hand to read all of his research in his leather notebook. What have we here now? It's a trial about trusting your senses than your eyes, the key is to not trust your eyes. Who says I have to use my own eyes, when I have another? The perks of being a Ninjetti. Rhea materialised in front of me, flying through the webs to find something that will turn off the trap. The webs were thick, I could barely see the pink aura Rhea was giving off. She told me there was a contraption, to my left and a rope to disengage it. Shit! I have to go through the corridor. Steeling myself, I made careful steps towards Rhea. That was when I heard something, the webs were beginning to move, giving the impression of a… supernatural or ghostly presence, but it sounded like… a buzzsaw!? Rhea screamed at me to duck now, which I just did, rolling underneath and feeling the buzzsaw miss my head by mere inches. I pulled on the rope to disable the trap. I looked back, fuck! That could have been me, all sliced and diced. Nasty way to die for some who tried. Seriously? Whoever set this trap, must have been foreshadowing _Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade_. If the second trial asks me to name a god in Latin, there was some definite foreshadowing.

I moved onto the second trial, while slowly peeling off some of the spider webs, but some of the silk strands were stubborn and refused to budge. I decided to leave it, it's not bothering me anyways. Entering the next chamber, well… this is different. It was a small room, with weird looking tiles. I had a look around, seeing four different coloured structures, blue, yellow, black and orange. On the wall was a clue or a riddle that needed to be solved, as the other side of the door was sealed shut. The inscribing said in Greek: ' _Το αίμα των Θεών_ ', which translates to ' _The blood of the Gods_ '. Well that's absolutely helpful. I took the tiles either way, just in case, placing them into my pocket. Turning my attention to the door, I saw a ray of light coming from the other side. Not just any light, sunlight, which is white light. The hole was carved to perfectly fit the structures I took. Interesting… I took a step back, only to step on a mechanism. I suddenly heard something collapse. You got to to be fucking kidding me!? I looked, to see the floor slowly disappearing, the tiles falling into an endless drop. Shit! Moving to the door, I knew I had to solve this fast. The blood of the Gods? I pondered on the coloured tiles. It's a colorimetric puzzle! OK, colour of the Gods. They definitely don't bleed like humans, I turned to see about a fifth of the floor gone. If the trials were constructed by the Greeks, there was something they always wrote about the their gods. What was it? They bleed ichor! Rhea was yelling at me to hurry up. Stop adding more stress! I'm already stressed as it is! What colour is ichor? Come on Kim! Think! GOLD! They bleed gold ichor! I pulled out the yellow and orange coloured tiles from my pocket, placing them in, but it wasn't right. The colour didn't appear right. Fuck! Of course they're in the wrong way! Pulling them out quickly, I swapped the colours, putting in orange, then yellow. Turning the light to gold and then, the collapsing of the floor stopped, seeing that there was only a small portion of the floor left. Too close for comfort. Stepping out, I decided to put the remaining two tiles in my backpack for research purposes.

Moving on now, finally! The final test. I saw on the other side, was the Corona Aurora, the only thing separating me from it, was this large chasm. Even with my ranger powers, I can not make this jump. I took my father's notes once again, reading it is a Leap of Faith. Great, cause I have a lot of faith in myself and God! Then it hit me, more Indiana Jones 3 foreshadow, the final trial in the film. Oh wow! The Greeks sure are clever, huh? It's a fucking illusion, the stone bridge is right in front of me. I knelt down, to pick up a handful of dirt and blew over the invisible bridge, which is now visible. How did the Greeks manage that? I know they somehow created Greek Fire, though the formula is long lost in time, but how did they create illusions? Unless they had outside help. Maybe… our history with other planets outside Earth, are more intertwined than we thought. Unfortunately, humans here don't want to associate their history with ' _aliens_ '. It'd be too much for them to comprehend. I walked across the stone bridge, reaching the crown. I stared in awe of its beauty, such craftsmanship has gone into it, it looks like a Medieval crown, but there was some… Byzantium influence in its design. There was a gorgeous glow from the crown, it was well kept, not a single bit or speck of dust coated the pure gold metal. Slowly, I reached out for the crown, taking it off the stone stand. After so much research and countless all nighters, it has finally paid off! I'm sure my dad, Kevin Hart would have loved to see this. Without warning, there was a seismic tremor that went off, nearly making me lose my balance. What was that about? Next thing took me by surprise, a spirit of some kind appeared before me. Is that…

 _"Greetings Eltarian, I am the Sentinel Knight. Keeper of the Corona Aurora."_ He introduced. _"I gravely tell you, that you have unknowingly unleashed a great evil on the world. They will stop at nothing to retrieve the crown and its jewels."_ Well shit! A warning would have been nice, something like: ' _Remove Corona Aurora at your own peril. You will wake Moltor and Fluious_ '! _"Protect the crown young Eltarian, or the world will be doomed!"_ Sentinel Knight disappeared from view. All of sudden, the entire cavern began to shake. Fuck! The whole place is coming down! I saw my exit and bolted for it. I ran through the cave, rocks and boulders falling behind me. Sentinel Knight could have warned me that he was going to bring the entire cavern, along with the castle down. I hope the people of Scotland won't miss this. Then my earpiece crackled to life.

 _"Kim! What's going on?"_ ,

"This place is falling apart!" I yelled, "Get out of there Andrew, I'll find you!",

 _"Just like your father."_ He muttered and disconnected. Which one is he on about? Kevin or Zordon? I kept running, while fumbling for the hook to attach the crown to. Sorry if I get it scratched Andrew. As I ran, I found my exit, but it was separated by another deep chasm. Fate likes to be an ass to me. I unhooked my climbing axe and took a few steps back. Focusing on one point, I went into a full on sprint, leaping for the edge. I slammed the edge with the axe, sliding down the rock, before stopping, leaving me hanging. Using my upper body strength, I managed to pull myself up, before seeing a large rock come hurtling towards me. Shit! Unfortunately or fortunately, however you see it, the rock hit my axe, dislodging it, sending me falling. I screamed out as I fell. That was when I heard water, it's a river! I hit the water, hard and only to realise it wasn't just a river, it was a rapid. It dragged me along, as I attempted to keep my head up.

I saw fallen rocks and other obstacles that I had to dodge, along with being slammed into a few of them; ribs first of course. I'm going to be feeling that the next day, but I promised I will be calling Tommy later tonight. I am not going to die this way and Zordon, along with Bohan will kick me out of the Spirit World, unless it spits me back out first. I finally saw light at the end, but my hopes quickly dashed as I realised its a one-hundred-and-ninety foot waterfall! Oh shit!

"You got to be kidding me!?" I said to myself, out loud! The waterfall flung me off the edge, in the time span I have to minimise impact, I straightened myself out, crossing my arms. It wasn't long before my feet hit the water's surface. I can somewhat thank my Eltarian genes, while that height was the highest recorded dive from a human, I don't know if they'd survive this. As I'm Eltarian, I'm able to take more impact that would kill or seriously injure someone. I swam out of the river, pulling myself onto dry land. Definitely enjoyed that moment, I leaned on a tree to catch my breath. Have to contact Andrew. Switching on my earpiece, I called for the archaeologist. "Andrew? Do you hear me?",

 _"You're alive! Thank god!"_ He replied,

"I'm Eltarian Andrew, as well as a veteran ranger. I'm not easy to put down." I chuckled. "Do you have my co-ordinates?",

 _"I do. I'm coming now, stay where you are."_ He ordered,

"Standing by." I said. I unhooked the crown from my waist, seeing it survived the whole ordeal; without a scratch! How!? There must be some sort of enchantment on this. No artefact would have survived all that without a scratch or even a dent. I think there's more to the Greeks than History leads us to believe. Would my home planet be visiting Earth?

I waited fifteen minutes for Andrew to arrive, that was when I heard the jeep. I looked up, to see him at the top, so I began to climb up, despite the burning protest in my muscles. I can't wait to hit the hotel we're staying in and spend two or three hours at the jacuzzi and with the masseuse also. Reaching Andrew, I handed the crown to him, watching as he stared at it in wonder. Father's research wasn't in vain, but did he have to leave? Were there other shady organisations breathing down his neck for his work? I have so many questions. Andrew turned to open a reinforced steel box and carefully placed the Corona Aurora into it, with the gentleness of a trained archaeologist. A part of me feels glad I took that Archaeology Elective, then I never would have met Andrew Hartford and never realising the connection he has with my father. Though… even if I did not meet him, he would still find a way to send me that package with his message. Fate works in mysterious ways. Andrew got my attention to get in the jeep to drive back to civilisation. I hopped into the car, looking back to where the Scottish Medieval castle once stood, I really feel bad for sending the entire structure down now. That's a bit of history from The Dark Ages gone, perhaps that should be my next research paper to publish. Not much of Medieval Times were left behind, not like the era of The Roman Empire and the massive Greek History and others. Feeling how exhausted I am, I decided to get some shut eye.

_ 20:00… _

( _Scene: Mar Hall Drive, Bishopton PA7, Scotland, Europe, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I sat on the bed with my nightwear on me. Even though Andrew and I were here to recover the crown, he's also a freaking billionaire and spared no expense on the nicest hotel in Scotland. That being the Mar Hall Golf and Spa Resort, a five-star hotel. Jesus Andrew! I almost bashed his head in with my fist! All I packed with me were clothes suited for the purpose we were here for and I felt like a filthy casual in such a fancy hotel. It was awkward. Once we got back, Andrew did check on me for injuries, only minor cuts and bruises though, my Accelerated Healing will sort that out, but… I bruised my ribs too; not the first time however. Anyways, I really needed that massage, the masseuse got so many cricks and knots out of me. She did question me about my scars, which made me awfully uncomfortable; so I tried to be as vague as I possibly could. Although, whatever oil she used, it certainly soothed some of the agitation from them, particularly the scar that ran between my shoulder blades to the small of my back. Not a single phantom pain from it, it was heaven! But thanks a lot Darkonda, sometimes I think when he takes over for Ecliptor, he found joy in torturing me. Darkonda enjoyed it! What sociopathic bastard! I'm glad Dark Spectre killed him after he got stabbed in the back by him. That henchman had his own game plan. Other than that, he was brutal, but precise, every incision he made into my back, every strike from the blade; quick or slow, he wanted to inflict as much pain as he could on me. All Ecliptor did was either beat me with his fists or struck me with the leather or electric whips till I caved to give him information.

I thought back to the others, Jason and Trini were obviously the first two to know that I left Reefside. I had to give Mrs. Mercer; you may remember her as Elsa/Principal Randall, she finally got married to Dr. Anton Mercer, those two and Trent are now one happy family, some notice that I may not be back for the new school year. I told her that I gave my aunt, Dulcea, a call. She knows Dulcea's history, along with her cover name Diana Prince. Dulcea was fine with covering my class until I return, she understood the journey I was taking was personal. I told Dulcea that I was also looking into my adoptive father's disappearance too. She even offered some aid, if we needed further information on the Corona Aurora, my aunt was around for its creation, but she never met its creator nor my uncle, Ninjor. So, my History Class for this year; which is almost finished actually, and two-thousand-and-seven will be covered. Back to Jason and Trini, those two didn't exactly like the idea that I was leaving to aid Dr. Hartford for the mythical crown that could send us to God knows where along the four corners of the Earth, it took some convincing to calm them down; but they demanded to be updated and that I do not die. Billy and Kat were well aware, as Billy himself was involved in helping locate the crown. Kat was on standby to lecture me if I did something Red Ranger stupid. Zach… well, he'll hear about this somehow, word travels fast among rangers and then tease me about it. Aisha and Rocky, were a different story, Mama Bear in particular; she thought I must have this obsession for going on death defying adventures and gave me a long lecture; which I had to sit through over the phone, as I listened to Rocky munch on a bowl of popcorn. I honestly don't know who's worse from my insane ranger family. I'm practically getting lectured by everyone! How did I forget about Aegis and Cassie? Aegis still has to pop the question, but he's too terrified; that cousin of mine! He needs a push or a hard shove! He was fine about it, just told me not to die. Yeah, not to die and I've been through that a few hours ago. Just remembering, sorry cousin, Jason and Trini beat you to that. The only people who don't know is my adoptive mother and stepfather, I still struggle to get along with Pierre, but that's beside the point. Mother would have a heart attack or worse if she heard I was chasing after the Corona Aurora, which she; like so many others believed was a fairytale. The very fairytale that drove apart the happy family I thought I would have.

I turned to the bedside table, reaching for my mobile phone. Andrew ensured that we won't be getting Roaming Charges. I dialled in Tommy's phone number, he told me ring him regardless of time difference. If I'm correct, it's probably twelve mid day now, in or around that; Tommy will be so happy to hear my voice and know that I'm still breathing. I waited for him to answer the phone, unless he idiotically misplaced it, but knowing Tommy, he'll place it somewhere he will remember, or have it on him. When it comes to me, he remembers everything. It didn't take long for my call to be received and I was met by a very excited voice on the other side of the phone.

 _"Is that you Kim?"_ He asked,

"Who else Handsome?" I teased,

 _"It's so good to hear your voice."_ Tommy said, with genuine relief in his tone. He hates it when I get hurt. _"Did you and Hartford find the crown?"_ ,

"Locked and stored away. It was a bit more eventful than I thought.",

 _"You don't say, huh?"_ Replied Handsome, _"I'm pretty sure I saw brief flashes of huge rocks falling on your head and you taking a dive down a hundred-and-ninety foot waterfall!"_ Damn it Rhea! I hear her chuckle in my head, she wasn't sorry. If she was a physical bird, I'd clip her wings and use her feathers for a pillow! Tommy just sighed. _"What do I expect from, what Zach now nicknamed you as: the Power Raider?"_ Fuck sake Zach! Of course he'd find out eventually. He already got he nickname down, I'll be suffering teasing for a week from the others. I groaned out loud, making Tommy laugh.

"Remind me to kill Zach." I muttered,

 _"You can't hide anything from him."_ He teased, _"I think it's badass. It's good to know I have a fierce, kickass wife."_ ,

"I'm flattered." I joked. I turned to the time to see it was getting late. Andrew and I are leaving in his private jet in the morning to return to the mansion and I should get some sleep. "Hey Tommy, I'm going to hit the hay. I'm sorry to cut this short.",

 _"Don't be sorry. We'll ring again sometime. Though I can drive up to San Angeles, it's only a three hour drive from Reefside."_ Offered Tommy,

"That'd be nice. Goodnight Tommy.",

 _"Night Beautiful."_ And we hung up. Well, at least Tommy knows I'm OK. That boy, he gets so overprotective. Hm… I can't remember though, if Aegis actually told him and my friends the brawl I started when I was on Eltar. In my defence, I was not drunk and perfectly sober. I went to get another drink for myself, Alura and Bohan, only to run into a group of highly drunk soliders; and they pissed me off. To finally add, the drunk ring leader threw first punch, not me! Then I also started another when I was undercover on Onyx. I actually started that and I have to say, that was fun too. Setting my phone down, I turned off the bedside lamp and let sleep take me.

_ Two Days Later… _

_ 14:00… _

_ Monday… _

_ 14th May 2006… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I walked around Andrew's base of operations, going through the scrolls on the crown, even trying to figure out how and where to locate its five gems. From what I know, the Sentinel Knight removed the gems and scattered them across the Earth. That was after two feuding brothers: Moltor and Fluious attempted to steal it. Brothers? Geez, that must be some dysfunctional family. Too bad I stupidly reawakened them. The scrolls say the gems can take on another form when removed from the crown. Just great! Make work more difficult. I looked to Andrew as he was going through some files, he is setting up a new ranger team to help recover the gemstones and protect the crown. I haven't told him that I do not want to be a ranger again, my ranger days are far behind me. I'm stepping away from the ranger world. Anyways, I need to focus on finding my father, it sounds selfish, but it's time I put family first. It was bad enough mom freaked out when she learned the truth, she'll have another heart attack if she heard I'm back wearing spandex again.

I saw on the computers Andrew had his chosen pick for the ranger team narrowed down to four, after scanning the roughly seven billion people on this Earth. I stared at the names: Veronica ' _Ronny_ ' Robinson, William ' _Will_ ' Aston, Rose Ortiz and Dax Lo. They're nearly all young adults, I sort of frowned at the odd mismatch. A Formula One racer, good on her for such a male dominated sport, she'll be quite the role model for young girls; a spy for hire, a Mensa level genius who entered university at eight, doesn't seem like she had much of a childhood, grew up way too quickly; and then a film stuntman. The spy for hire and the genius I understand, but why a stuntman and a racer? I stared at the archaeologist who seemed to have had the colours sorted out. Veronica will be given the Yellow Overdrive powers, William - Black, Rose - Pink and Dax - Blue, but who'll be red? Who's going to be the leader? Andrew saw the analytical look I had on my face and knew what I was going to ask.

"You're wondering about Overdrive Red?",

"Read me off the bat Hartford." I answered. Andrew walked over to the silver case, opening it, revealing the Overdrive Morphers. Billy helped him create and link them to the Morphing Grid. He picked up one morpher, I'm guessing is the Red Overdrive Morpher and pointed it towards me. Me? He wants me to lead the team as Overdrive Red!? Why not his son Mackenzie or Mack for short? That was when he spoke to me.

"You have the most experience. I want you to be the Red Overdrive Ranger and lead Operation Overdrive." Sadly, I shook my head, much to his dismay.

"I'm sorry Andrew. I have to decline, I can't go back to the ranger world again.",

"Kimberly, come on." He persisted, but I stepped back.

"I said no Hartford!" My tone raised slightly, "I can't. Recruit someone else to lead. I can mentor at the side, but looking for my father is my top priority. That is where our paths diverge.",

"If you say so." The billionaire archaeologist conceded to my wish, sighing. Andrew put the morpher back in the box and locked it. He turned his attention to the screen once more. At least we have four fifths of the team, that's a good start. All we need is to get them to come to the mansion and knowing Andrew, he has that sorted.

"It won't be long till Moltor and Fluious come after the crown." I said to him,

"Well then." He said, "Time to initiate _Project Operation Overdrive_."


	2. Assemble Project Operation Overdrive Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly and Andrew begin recruiting the new rangers, but convincing them has problems of its own, with many more to come.

_"I'll say this: the scariest monster in the world is human beings and what they are capable of;_

_especially when they get together."_

\- Jordan Peele

* * *

Chapter 1: Assemble Project Operation Overdrive Part I

* * *

_ One Week Later… _

_ 13:00… _

_ Monday… _

_ 21st May 2006… _

Canon: _Kick Into Overdrive Part I_

( _Scene: Guest Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Roughly a week passed after Andrew and I found and recovered the Corona Aurora from Scotland, of all countries. Now, he's in the middle of recruiting the new Operation Overdrive Rangers he picked and I agreed upon. I'm still raising eyebrows at the Formula One racer and the stuntman, guess they'll have to prove what skill sets they actually have. The spy for hire is making me ask questions, he certainly looks like the lone wolf type, hasn't much experience in working with teams. That's going to be a problem, if you can't work with your comrades, it's going to cause unwanted rifts and get everyone killed; OK, backpedal from that, unlucky to get them seriously hurt, maybe he'll learn that lesson from being on this team. Rose Ortiz, the Mensa university student interests me, I still think she grew up far too fast and never really got to enjoy her childhood. A part of her is going to be a child at heart, to make up for what she lost; she even undermines her intelligence, despite that, she goes by this quote: she is ' _always never wrong_ '. Sorry honey, the world can turn that on you and tell you, you are wrong. I've been bitch-slapped by that sort of thing too many times in my life. We're all human; well… I'm Eltarian, but you get the point; nobody is right, we make mistakes and learn from them, but her Billy-level intelligence will be undeniably helpful.

Andrew is still trying to get me to change my mind in becoming Overdrive Red, but I still persisted that I'm not getting involved in any ranger business. Even if my father's disappearance crosses over with them, I am not getting involved in direct fighting. I told Andrew, to make it clear to him, I don't mind mentoring or offering advice to the new rangers, even giving them some sparring lessons, but that's as far my services will go. I made a vow that I will not take up the spandex again after the Dino Thunder Rangers and the trip to Firebird's Earth. I constantly asked him why not recruit his son, but he even denied that. He's too scared to see Mack get hurt in this kind of operation. I understand Andrew is protective of his son, but he's too overprotective, Mack is an adult now, he can make his own decisions. Surprisingly, he hasn't discovered the secret base underneath his own home; but Rhea tells me it won't stay secret for long. Bloody hell though, Rhea is even begging me to accept the Overdrive Morpher and lead the new team; it resulted in an argument between myself and my Spirit Animal, which Spencer - the mansion's butler, awkwardly stumbled upon. Anyone who has not touched the Power cannot see the Animal Spirits, so it appeared that I was talking to thin air. I had to sit down with him and explain the whole thing about Animal Spirits and all that jazz.

As for what I'm doing right now, I'm looking through various news headlines relating to my father, surprisingly there isn't many. Most them are pretty offensive and mocking, it seems like father published or well… was in the middle of publishing a paper about the Corona Aurora. However, since there was little texts about it and its history, dad was looking into a myth and his peers laughed at him for going on a fairytale treasure hunt. He… made himself a controversial figure among his peers, he risked his reputation for all this. I would love to see their faces if I showed them the crown, then they'll regret laughing at him; now I understand what both he and Andrew told me: ' _Myth is based on some version of the truth_ '. After recovering the crown, it has opened my eyes to see how close or intertwined our myth and truth is. I guess that is why he left, maybe that's what all the fights were about, father started to obsess over the whereabouts of the crown and even began spending less time with me. Mom even saw this and confronted him, which is what led to all those heated arguments. Now, thinking about it, he didn't want me to be picked on in school, to be known as the girl who has a crazy father. But why did it have to cost him his marriage? Why did he choose to push me away? Perhaps the answer is simple: he did not want to see me isolated, or lose my friends. My dad wasn't crazy, he was right, the world just doesn't like to hear things that doesn't coincide with their level of thinking or beliefs. People are suddenly afraid to defy ' _herd mentality_ ' and be the black sheep, think outside the box and take risks. People want to hold onto things that matter, like reputation and it's kind of sad. How can the world move forward like this?

I turned my head to look out the window, just in time to Mack fall off the hammock. I tried so hard to hold in my laugh. It looks like Andrew's son was dreaming again, fell asleep reading his adventure book. All Mack wants is to explore the world, go on endless adventures with his dad, I'm pretty sure he even had dreams about saving the world, being the hero. I don't know if he really knows this or not, but the world is a cruel place, it's not a fairytale; there are days I think that there are no heroes, only survivors. The known parts of the galaxy is equally cruel as well, perhaps with time, Mack will learn that hard lesson, as did I. For now, for an adult, I will let him retain his innocence. I watched as he and Spencer talked, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Mack is aware myself and his father have found the Corona Aurora. Mack and I haven't really exchanged much words apart the odd ' _hello_ ' passing each other and he's been respectful enough of my privacy. I don't understand why Andrew won't let his son be the Red Overdrive Ranger, there's a quality in him, that will make him a great Red Ranger; putting him up there with Jason, Tommy, TJ, Andros, Leo, Carter, Wes and Eric; he's technically a red, despite his title Quantum Ranger, Cole, Shane, Conor and I can't believe I'm saying this, Nick even. It maybe a lot of Red Rangers before him, setting a challenging standard, but I know he can meet those standards.

My days of leading are done, unless my mother: Aria contacts me, if there's trouble on Eltar and she needs me back in the Eltarian Army. After everything I've been through: losing many of my brothers and sisters in arms, sometimes, I think I have become a bad luck charm; anyone under my command is just doomed to get seriously injured or end up dead. The last time I led, was myself, Aegis, Tommy, the kids and the alternate version of our friends, to retrieve the crystallised Morphing Grid from the Power Vault on their world. It sort of scared Tommy that I didn't care if anything happened to me, all I cared was my team being alive and safe. He was surprised to watch me soldier through my injuries! I made a promise to myself to never lead again, with the exception I mentioned, if mother calls me to return to Eltar. I would just hate myself if I got those kids hurt or killed, it's one of my many reasons to push myself away from the action, the fighting or being a ranger again. I just have enough of it, during Tommy's team, I barely got a breather; being forced back into action, frozen in amber, trapped in my own ranger suit, being turned invisible, put myself in a god damned comatose, my PTSD, nearly burning Reefside to the ground as Firebird and finally, there's the wormhole… actually it was an inter dimensional portal. So yes, I've been through enough shit in my lifetime, I helped Andrew find the crown, now he expects me to take up the mantle again? I'm sorry, but I have to be selfish. My ranger days are far behind me. Though, I won't be surprised if I am forced to morph.

 _"Once a ranger, always a ranger, my young crane."_ Said a ghostly voice. I swear to god, did I just hear my father's voice or am I going crazy? I did certainly hear the Power Ranger motto, but sadly, it's not applying to me. If I really have to, I will help the new Overdrive Rangers with my powers of the Ninjetti; but I know, they'll be more than capable. They won't need a veteran ranger to help them fight their battles. Closing my laptop and gathering all the news clippings about my father, placing them carefully into a box, I decided to go down to the kitchen for some tea and even check up on Andrew. I might even run some diagnostics/maintenance checks on the Zords. What's a ranger team without their Zords? Hm… speaking of which, I wonder did our recruits get our message; like what Andrew did with me? We both recorded messages into four devices, sending them off to each recruit and hopefully, arrive at the mansion tomorrow, if not, the day after.

( _Scene: Film Shoot, Hollywood, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

A young man of Asian background, dressed in blue leaped over a wall as fake gunshots were heard. He was quick to soften his landing, crouching into roll and back on his feet with equal dexterity to challenge a parkour enthusiast or a free runner. The action he was enjoying was short lived when the director called out the familiar:

"CUT!" Through his speaker. A towel was passed to the stuntman in his early twenties, he smiled politely, taking it. The young stuntman is Dax Lo, who is looking to work his way up the top in the demanding acting career. He swapped places with the real actor, who so happened to look similar to him, that's why he was picked to cover the stunts deemed ' _too dangerous_ ' for the actor or actress.

 _"Too dangerous."_ He thought, _"Look at Angelina Jolie; who brought freaking Lara Croft to life, and Tom Cruise in his Mission Impossible films."_ Of course, not every celebrity is capable, or have the guts of performing their own stunts. Dax was sort of getting tired of doing stunts, however, he holds onto bright hopes that he will ascend the ladder in Hollywood. His charisma and enthusiasm hasn't failed him, yet. Making his to way to a chair to sit down and rest his legs, Dax frowns, seeing a strange device sitting on one of the equipment boxes. The small device with the odd symbol sat there like it was waiting for him. Since curiosity took over him, he looked left and right to see everyone was busy with their own jobs; seems like no one bothered to notice this. He picked it up and lifted the top part of the device, upon doing that, a hologram of a man he didn't recognise appeared.

_"Mr. Dax Lo, my name is Dr. Andrew Hartford. You may not know me, but I'm certainly a fan of you and your stunts. I have a proposal for you, if you're interested."_

( _Scene: Formula One Race Track, Italy, Europe, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

A Formula One car with bright yellow colouring raced around the track at an insane speed, passing some of the other competitors, placing the driver in first place. The crowd was going crazy during the F1 Italian Championship, judging by this reaction, it is clear this driver is a favourite among the community of this competitive sport. Nearing the finish line, the driver hit the accelerator for one last speed boost, the F1 car sped towards the black and white checked line, the flag of the same colour waving over his head. The crowd roared that their favourite driver came first place and watched as the victor raised his arms to celebrate. The driver pulled himself up with help of the staff, the mechanics taking the car off-track to check it over. The driver removed his helmet, only to see he is a she! Long blonde hair tumbled out, the crowd chanting her name, she smiled and waved at her fans. It's not everyday a female F1 driver makes it this far, especially in a male dominated sport. However, she defies expectations and is already a favourite and role model for young females, who are too scared to make a career in racing. On the side, Ronny, as she is known in the racing world, is a face for encouraging females into racing and fights to make racing a gender equal sport. It didn't matter if it was on the racing track or not, she was also encouraging girls to enter careers as a mechanic too. The female driver has even earned the respect of her male peers, with some friendly and unfriendly competitive rivalry.

Ronny steps up on the podium and accepts the silver trophy passed to her, smiling at the camera as the crowd shouted her name. Some people are already asking her for autographs from her. It took a whole three hours for the excitement to calm down, allowing Ronny to breathe. She walked over to her trophy, another one to add to her collection and strangely finds a device in the cup. She pulls it out and opens it. A hologram of a female in her late twenties, with brunette hair appears.

 _"Congratulations Ronny."_ The unnamed woman said. Ronny raises her eyebrows, but taking the kind remarks from the brunette. _"Figured you win this race, you'd put my husband to shame in his racing days, and my friend now owes fifty dollars."_ The racer tried so hard not to laugh, that this woman placed a bet on her and that friend of hers lost the said bet. _"I'm Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver. I have an offer for you, one that is too tempting to turn down."_ Ronny cocked her head to the side, but an offer too tempting, there's no way she can turn it down.

"Alright then, ' _Dr. Hart-Oliver_ '." She muttered to herself, "I accept."

( _Scene: Vault, Banco Del La Fortalezo, Brazil, South America, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

In Brazil, in one of the many banks, a lone person managed to get inside to one of the vaults; suspended by a cable wire that can support his weight. One could say he or she is quite a sophisticated thief, having the money and resources to afford such equipment for a break-in. Suspended from the air, the room was protected by security lasers, it doesn't take a genius to know: hit one of them, you'll set off the alarms and have the entire security staff on you. After getting close enough to the vault, the person slid a metal card, one that looks like a typical keycard; except it's designed to bypass any lock that requires a card and override it. A few seconds passed, the keycard was accepted, the numbered dial automatically turning, allowing the 'thief' to turn the wheel-shaped handle, opening the vault. To his disappointment, it was just a device with a symbol on it. Frowning behind the mask, the thief removed it, revealing it to be a male.

"What is this?" He asked himself, "I thought I was recovering a stolen Corinthian diamond from the museum!" Looks can be deceiving, as he did not appear to be a thief, if his mission was to recover a stolen item. Taking the device, he opened it, hoping to get some answers and see if his informant was pulling his leg or if the whole set up was a test. Opening it, the hologram of a man appeared before him on the device.

 _"Nice job William, just to let you know, it was me, who hired you to break into my own vault. Trust me, I have many more, with better security than this."_ Will scoffed to himself, why would this man hire him to break into his own vault!? _"I wanted to test your skills, you passed with flying colours."_ Will didn't look exactly amused that he wasted his time, only to hear he was being tested. He knew he was the best in his field, no one could have that little doubt if he got hold of his name. _"Now, the real reason why I actually hired you. I have a job bigger than this for you."_ Will smiled upon hearing those words.

"Now we're talking." He said out loud.

( _Scene: Wicker Bridge University of Technology, London, Europe, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

In the prestigious university of technology in London, the laboratory for robotics and Artificial Intelligence testing wasn't exactly being prestigious at the moment, as there was chaos in the lab. A single robotic arm was wildly firing lasers at everyone in the room, who were running to find cover; while the professor, who was actually demonstrating one of his top student's project to the current final year students, was furiously typing on the laptop to shut down the robot. He tried every single code and algorithm to shut it down, even an overdrive command, but nothing worked. At that moment, a student, who had the appearance a punk. She looked to be only seventeen years old, even one could mistake her to be sixteen, far too young for a typical undergraduate. The student walked in, chewing gum, listening to her music and ducking here and there when a laser was fired at her. She reached the laptop to where the professor stood, shoulder bumping him to move over. She typed on the laptop and actually turned it off, the robot stopped firing, sending a wave of relief throughout the lab.

The young student turned to her professor, who was thanking her. She smiled sweetly at him, but one could tell, she has a fair bit of spunk and is not afraid to put you in your place. She pulled out her earphones.

"Professor, if you want to mess with one of my robots, please don't!" The professor nodded, walking off. The undergraduate sighed, she was supposed to be having lunch break, only to hear her robot has gone on a rampage, because someone messed with it. Picking up her school bag, she hears a clang, something has fallen out of her bag. She sees a gold device with an unidentified symbol on it and picked it up. Turning on the device, an accurate hologram of a female brunette appeared before her.

 _"Interesting project you got there Ortiz."_ The unknown woman started off. _"You might not know me because of our different areas in research. I'm Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver, very impressive of you to get into university at eight. You sure a Mensa."_ Rose couldn't help but feel proud at that comment, but why is this random person contacting her? If she has a Post Doctorate, what area does she specify in? Dr. Hart… Rose didn't know whether to call her Dr. Hart or Dr. Oliver, it does imply she is married. Although, the surname Hart is tugging strings at her, where has she heard that surname before? She decided to go with calling her Dr. Hart and continued to listen to the rest of the message. _"I have an offer for you, a friend of mine needs help and we need your expertise and knowledge. You wouldn't know what reward could come out of this, I can put in a good word for you with William Cranston. He may offer you an internship at end of this."_ If Rose had any drink or food on her, she surely would have choked on both, she somehow has not choked on her chewing gum. This woman knows William Cranston!? The famous William Cranston!? Rose knows he is a famous astrophysicist, while also specialising in Quantum Mechanics and Artificial Intelligence! He even set up his own successful business! It is said he only asks for the brightest and smartest researchers and even students into his company; to just work on some of his projects is a dream come true! An internship with Cranston Technologics… if this woman truly knows him, she will have one damn résumé. _"Come to Hartford Mansion in San Angeles, California. I hope to meet you Ms. Rose Ortiz."_ And the message ended. Rose had her mind made up by the end of it, she's going to California.

_ Next Day… _

_ 14:30… _

_ Tuesday… _

_ 22nd May 2006… _

( _Scene: Andrew's Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

It seemingly didn't take long for the four strangers to gather in Dr. Hartford's mansion, all standing in his office slightly confused. They were waiting to meet this Dr. Hartford and Hart-Oliver. They four young adults… well three young adults stared at each other, they quickly figured out that the petite girl with black hair and pink highlights was the youngest of them all. They assumed she was only in high school, which was crazy. To break the awkward silence between them, it was the male dressed in black spoke.

"Well, Hartford is quite loaded with the money." He admired the architecture of the mansion and it reflected Hartford's fortune. He turned his attention to the pool table and fiddled with the pool cue. The other three stared him and of course, he knew he forgot his manners. "Nice to meet you all, I'm William. William Aston. Will is fine though." Next was the blonde haired female.

"Veronica, but Ronny will do." She greeted,

"I'm Dax." The young man of Asian decent introduced, but telling by his accent, it was clear he was raised in an English speaking country. The final person to introduce them self was young, supposed high school student.

"My name is Rose. I assume we're all here because of the same invitation?" They all nodded in agreement. They pretty much got the earliest flight possible to San Angeles, California, they even didn't pack much with them and surprisingly, a taxi was waiting for them all. By some sort of pure luck, they all got a plane that landed at the same time. That was when another person walked in, another male, with a bowl in his hand. Ronny spoke to him first.

"I guess you're here via invitation too?" She asked him, but he just looked at her confused. Before he could get an answer, Dr. Hartford appeared with his butler Spencer. Awkwardly seeing his son, Andrew had to push his son out, closing the double doors on him, ignoring his questions and protests. There was no way he was getting his son involved in all of this, it was too dangerous. Andrew turned his attention back to the four recruits he invited and hopefully, they will accept their role in Project Operation Overdrive.

"Hi, I'm Andrew Hartford, I'm the one who invited you here." He then turned to Spencer. "Spencer, go get them all lemonade." Nodding respectfully, the butler left his side for the kitchen. Then Ronny and Rose interjected.

"Um… we didn't get invited by you, we were invited to come by-" Her statement was finished for her.

"Oh yes, Kimberly Oliver, she's a co-researcher. She should be joining us very shortly.",

"Alright Hartford," Said Will, who was losing his patience. "Why are we here?",

"I asked you all here, because I need your help. With Kimberly, we managed to uncover an ancient crown: the Corona Aurora." He said. Then Ronny scoffed slightly, because she was totally lost. She knows cars and racing inside out, but nothing on History, as if she ever listened to her high school History Teacher.

"What is that?",

"The Corona Aurora is a crown, which I said, believed to hold unimaginable power. If it falls into the wrong hands, Earth will be doomed." Andrew explained. Then Rose went into the mythology.

"The crown was sought after by two brothers, they located it and attempted to steal it. They couldn't touch the crown and it changed them, their forms and all, into the beings known as Moltor and Fluious. Then it banished them to planets of their element: fire and ice." She finished and everyone was just looking at her stupid. It's not the first time she gets looked at like that. Rose is pretty sure in her lifetime, she has lost count at this stage. "What!? I took a year to study Ancient Universal History and Mythology in Harvard." Then she turned her attention back to Andrew. She thought Andrew was messing with them in saying he and his researcher actually found the crown. "No one has ever found the crown, it's just a myth, a fairytale." After she said that, another voice spoke from behind them.

"Myth is based on some version of the truth, Rose." They turned around to see the brunette woman. She was petite alright, standing at five foot two and dressed quite casually; wearing a plain pink checked shirt unbuttoned, with a white t-shirt inside it and a pair of blue jeans. Her caramel brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. Though, what really stood out to them, was the glistening silver coming from her necklace, they were able to make out a crane and a staff, but none of them understood the symbolism or what it meant. "Allow me to formally introduce myself as Kimberly Hart-Oliver." The surname finally struck Rose. How did she not connect the dots?

"You're the daughter of the disgraced Historian Kevin Hart, right!?" Unfortunately, Rose realised her mistake and knew she should have held her tongue or used kinder words, as Dr. Hart gave her the most menacing and threatening glare. The soft doe-brown eyes became hard, stone cold. If looks could kill, she'd be dead now and Rose took a slight step back.

"I'd appreciate it Ortiz, if you kindly do not insult my father or my family name." Andrew was quick to disperse the tension.

"Now Kim, please don't scare our guests. Ms. Ortiz meant no offence.",

"I'm sorry. Just… please don't insult my dad again." Kimberly was quick to change her tone, getting down to the main reason the four of them were brought here. "It wasn't a coincidence that we brought you guys here. We picked you because of your individual skill sets and abilities. It is true we have found the crown." She looked over to Andrew. "Show them Andrew." Without saying a word, Andrew walked over to the painting and removed it, revealing a secret safe. He placed his hand on it, showing only his handprint can unlock it. The safe opened and he carefully removed the golden crown, showing it to them all. They all looked shocked, Rose was fascinated that she stood before a real myth, now busted. There were gaps in the crown, meaning they are meant for the jewels that were scattered across the Earth.

"The crown must be protected from Moltor and Fluious, it can't fall into their hands." He said,

"Andrew," Voiced Ronny, "With all due respect, you have money! Hire a god damn army!" Kimberly on the other hand was looking frustrated, a part of her wondered why she couldn't get a past ranger team to protect the crown or take it away off planet! Hell! She could take it to Eltar and they would protect it. Names of other planets came to mind: Aquitar, Triforia, Edenoi, Phaedos, Inquirius, KO-35, Mirinoi; they all can offer a form of protection, better than the Earth army here. More ideas were fired at the archaeologist, even reasoning what made him think they could protect it better than the US Army. She lost her patience and slammed her fist on the office desk, making a slight indentation, that they thankfully couldn't see. They last thing she needed was to explain to them her real heritage as an Eltarian. It did however, shut them all up and got their attention.

"You four don't understand the seriousness of this extent. The army is worthless against Moltor's and Fluious' forced, you'll have them all slaughtered." She gritted, "We wouldn't have brought you here if those fuckers weren't set free, but they are. It's why we need to take matters into our own hands.",

"Kimberly and I, along with some friends of hers, helped us with some… special equipment, the tools needed to stand against the two forces of evil." He explained to them,

"The four of you are chosen to become Power Rangers, the nineteenth team in the legacy.",

"Power Rangers?" They all asked at the same time. She stared at Dax, who was smiling with glee, like a little child.

"That is awesome! I always wanted to be the hero and save the world!" Kim smiled a small bit, his enthusiasm matched her brother Jason's, when they were chosen to be the first Power Ranger team. It feels so long ago now. While it sounds great to be a hero or heroine, sometimes it's not as glamorous as it seems. "It would make an awesome movie!" The young historian and History Teacher fought the urge to smack her head off the table, after all that, they still refuse to believe them! It'd be so much easier if her father, her biological father Zordon was here. He'd talk some sense into them. Hell! A part of her wanted to punch all four of them, she kind of figured sending in new recruits would be a waste of time. Kim even thought going as far as letting Firebird loose on them. Instead, she should have just made a few phone calls with her friends, surely they wouldn't mind in taking up the mantle again. It would save time from training. Then the other part of her thought it would be wrong of her, they're all trying to live normal lives, the last thing they want to hear from her is: to be called back to action with new powers. Kim could not afford to let them halt their personal lives for this; it is why she kept this quiet from most of them. She decided to speak to them one last time.

"I know you don't believe us, it may seem like we're spouting insane bullshit; makes us no better than my father. We are not lying though, but it's your choice. Stay and learn more, if not," She gestured to the door. "The exit is over there." And they took the latter, heading for the door. Both she and Andrew sighed, looks like they'll have to call in some of the old ranger team, if they refuse to help. Without warning, the four recruits were stopped in their tracks when lightening came out of nowhere. In a flash of bright light, a ghostly spectre appeared before them, glowing brightly. They were able to make out the bodily shape, just about and it spoke.

 _"Young ones, they do not lie. I am the Sentinel Knight, Keeper of the Corona Aurora. Dr. Hart and Dr. Hartford have unintentionally unleashed the evil that the crown banished many, many years ago. You four have been chosen to protect the crown as Power Rangers."_ He said, _"There is a long lineage of them and you four, stand before one."_ They turned again, looking between Kimberly and Andrew. _"Kimberly was once the Original Pink Ranger in nineteen-ninety-three."_ And their jaws practically dropped, they stood before a real veteran ranger! Now they sort of felt bad for poking fun at her, about them being chosen to carry on the legacy. _"The two of them cannot do this alone. Please help them."_ The Sentinel Knight disappeared. Suddenly, the four new recruits decided to change their minds, after hearing the statement from the Keeper of the Corona Aurora himself.

"So, what do we do?" Rose asked them. Andrew out the crown back in the safe, placing the painting over it and activated a switch, revealing a hidden firepole. Kimberly gave them the signal to follow her and Andrew. Without further question, Will, Dax, Ronny and Rose followed them.

_ 15:15… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

The recruits followed behind me as I slid down the firepole, bringing them into mine and Andrew's hidden base. I even made the Batcave joke the kids used on Tommy's Dino Lab, because he built his base underneath his house too. Look what you started Handsome, I can imagine him smirking with pride. I turned to see our soon-to-be rangers look around the base with awe, Rose was most impressed because of the technology here. I could make out Will making joke about breaking into this place, then Dax and Ronny were like kids in a candy store. Andrew and I let them get their bearings for a few minutes, only to gain their attention once again; but first of all, we need them to dress themselves in their new outfits. Andrew got that sorted and he spared no expense on them, ensuring that these exploration gear can withstand the elements, combat and wears and tears.

"Alright, before we go any further. Here are your outfits for official exploration." One by one, I handed their outfits. They were simple, all black, the only thing differentiating them is the individual lining of there ranger colour. The four them took their uniforms, left for a moment to change. While myself and Andrew waited, I stared at the black uniform with the red lining, my hand running over it. Of course, it went unnoticed by Andrew.

"This is your last chance to accept Kimberly. You are more than capable of leading them." He said to me, but I still shook my hand. Rhea cried out to me, telling me I'm making a mistake, though… this is a mistake I am not going to regret.

"I'm telling you again, no." I replied softly, trying to not let my anger get to me. There's a part of me still a Lieutenant, it gives me the urge to lead, but I can't. Here, on Earth I'm Kimberly Hart-Oliver; on my home planet, I'm Lieutenant Kara of Eltar. "I told you the stories of the times I led a team, particularly on Eltar. It taught me I'm nothing but a bad luck charm." Before my former lecturer could counter my statement, the new rangers walked back in. To be fair, they're all looking pretty good. Ronny and Rose were checking out their uniforms, while Dax and Will were stretching their arms to make sure they had room and comfort. When all that was done, we got them to stand in a line between two machines. Andrew told them not to worry, as I talked through what was happening. "So what we're doing is re-sequencing specific genes in your DNA to give you powers, abilities. I don't know what they'll be, it's completely random, therefore you guys have to figure it out." That was when they seemed to have worried looks on their faces, primarily because it's involving the changing of the genes in their DNA. They heard me chuckle slightly. "Don't worry, there won't be any repercussions. Billy tested this device one hundred times over during the two years up to this. It's completely safe." Andrew turned the machine off, allowing them to step out. Then I was questioned by Rose.

"Who's Billy?" I fought the urge to smack myself, I completely forgot I used Billy's proper name.

"Sorry Rose. Billy is William Cranston and don't worry, I will hold onto my promise." I said,

"Allow me to ask, how do you know Dr. Cranston?",

"I was in school with him. We attended the same high school, we're still best of friends." The Pink Ranger looked like she was ready to faint. Billy isn't really one to boast about his fame like me and I forgot how famous he in his field of science, which crosses over with Rose. Next, we heard someone slide down the firepole, it couldn't be Spencer, he would use the secret lift, he's too old for that, no offence to him. The figure wearing a red and white t-shirt turned around, revealing to be Mack; Andrew's son.

 _"Secrets don't stay secret forever."_ Rhea said in my head. Well, shit hit the fan real quick.

"What are you doing here son?" Andrew questioned, "You should go home." Oh wow, statement of the year! That caused Mack to frown and respond.

"I am home." Mack isn't stupid, this base is directly built underneath his home. He looked around the base. "What is this place?" I knew an argument was going to be underway, I could tell from a mile. I turned to the recruits, telling them they should head outside to get some air. That also equals: ' _go figure out your powers_ '. Nodding without question, they all left via the lift, when Spencer also came down. Good, I need him to referee here, because this isn't my place in the argument. Instead, while the arguing between father and son went underway, with the odd voice of reason from Spencer, I watched the new rangers from the hidden security cameras. They located in each room, then I can get live video feed from the NASADA and NASA satellite dishes in space, to watch them from the outside. It's not illegal, Andrew and I sorted that out, with help from the Astro Rangers. A little token of understanding after the Forever Red Mission on the moon. With them on our side, they sort of prevent The Pentagon from snooping into our business. You can't blame us rangers for our distrust towards our own government. While the arguing was still carrying one, I watched the new team as they ventured out into the gardens. I began to frown. Hm… they're investigating something, I wonder what it is? Suddenly, the alarms went off, now seeing the group being attacked by their first foot soldiers and they no doubt belong to the ranks of Moltor's army. If I remember right, they're called Lava Lizards; because that name is so original, it'll be a matter of time before Fluious and his army: the Chillers make their appearance. The previous teams are lucky, they only had to deal with one primary villain, we get landed with life and death Piggy-in-the-Middle.

Mack, Andrew and Spencer rushed to my side to watch the fight, it was clear the recruits were getting their asses kicked. Only Will has discovered his ability so far, which I believe now is Super Hearing and Telescopic Vision. That only leaves Ronny, Dax and Rose to figure out theirs and master them. We watched the fight, it was clear they are no fighters, I guess I have to set a day to give them all a crash course in self-defence. While the Morphing Grid can offer knowledge on combat, you have to rely on your own skills. This won't be the last unmorphed fight they will come across. At the rate these guys are going, they're all going to be the Lava Lizards' next meal. Then, they were thrown back, landing on their sides. I noticed Mack and Andrew about to leave, but I put my hand up to stop them.

"Dr. Hart! They're going to get hurt!" Mack argued, not seeing my reason.

"They have powers, they need to master them." I said sternly, "Let this be lesson one for them." My words spoke true, seeing Ronny as a yellow blur, pushing all the foot soldiers down. Aw, Conor is going to be jealous, he'll demand a Super Speed race now. It makes sense for her to have that ability, Ronny lives for life in the fast lane. Dax was second last to show off his ability, some sort of Super Jump or Agility. His legs and muscles act like springs, allowing him leap at inhuman height and distances. Then the young Rose was last, her power is Invisibility, oh boy! Tommy will be jealous too and I had my fair share with invisibility after I took a horrifying bath in green slime. It was fun for a while, scared the living daylights out of my brother and The Devil's Trio; Trini, Aisha and Kat. After that, the foot soldiers went on the retreat, I think they're running back to their leader. Let's see if we can intervene them, as the other four Rangers went after them. OK, now they need their ranger powers. I turned to grab the silver case containing their morphers, and ran for the lift, with Andrew, his son and Spencer behind me. This time, Mack was adamant in coming with us, so Andrew didn't protest this time, but there will be words spoken at the end of this.

_ 17:30… _

( _Scene: Battlefield, Clearing, Few Mile From Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Andrew skidded the jeep to halt after catching up with our new ranger recruits. The Lava Lizards have retreated and now, they're back again with larger numbers. The case I carried was not the only one, it also contained the fake Corona Aurora to drive our enemies off our tails. Thank god that some of my friends have brilliant artistic skills and perfectly replicated the crown. The real one was what Andrew showed them and is sealed in his vault. Seeing our opponents, the Rangers were about to charge, before I stopped them quickly, opening the case to reveal their Overdrive morphers, the proper is Overdrive Tracker. They took them with a nod, I closed the case and gave them the shorthand version of how to activate their powers.

"The command is ' _Overdrive Accelerate_ '." Without a word, they stepped out in front of me and morphed, watching them perform their morph like it was riding a bike. To keep my distance from the fight, I ran back to the jeep. I have to say, the suits look cool and sleek, certainly fit the theme, however… it looks like four isn't enough on the field. I knew Spencer was keeping Mack back in the jeep, I turned to see Andrew grab the red Overdrive Morpher, leaping out. He was about to morph, until he got blindsided by a pair of Lava Lizards, making him drop the device. My old ranger instincts kicked in, without thinking, I leaped in, kicking the foot soldiers away; only for both of us to see Mack pick the morpher up and I knew he was going to do it.

"Mack, no!" I put my hand on Andrew's arm, giving him a hard stare. Mack successfully morphed into Overdrive Red and ran into the thick of the fight. It didn't take long for more of Moltor's soldiers to come after us, seeing that we are a threat. It's a good thing I gave Andrew a few lessons, he's not doing too bad. I did a backflip to avoid a punch from the lizard, then gave it a hard front kick, knocking it down and out. More and more soldiers just kept swarming out, this is got to be a joke, no choice now. I got into my morphing stance.

"I need Ninja Ranger Power! The Crane!" I called out, surrounding myself in bright pink energy. The glow died down and I was in Ninjetti robes, the fighting stopped for a moment, to see everyone gawking at me, but it was short-lived when one of the two big bad guys appeared. My eyes flashed, recognising one of the brothers. "Moltor." I said to myself. Moltor locked eyes on myself, Andrew and the jeep, instantly realising the crown is where we are standing.

While the rangers were busy with his Lava Lizards, Moltor sprinted across the battlefield, completely ignoring the rangers. Time to have some fun, brandishing my Power Bow, I pulled back the bow string, summoning an energy arrow and let out a flurry of them loose. Unfortunately, none of them fazed Moltor, as he continued approaching with his weapon unsheathed. Fuck me! Banishing my Power Bow, I called forth my Eltarian short sword and ran at the enemy. I raised my weapon, clashing with his and we were locked in a sword fight. I parried an attack away from me, getting three quick strikes, before I was kicked down. Moltor raised his sword and brought it down on me, thanks to my reflexes, I rolled out of the way, slashing him behind the kneecap. I pulled myself up, just to realise I only pissed him off even further, Moltor was quick to recover from my attack, grabbing me by the neck. I dropped my weapon, only to be thrown into the jeep, shoulder first. Ouch. The impact left me dazed, as I felt another pair of hands on me and a voice. It sounded like Spencer. Regaining my senses, I saw Moltor opening the case, with the fake Corona Aurora, but he didn't realise it was a fake and fell for it. Moving away from us, Mack intervened, but was tossed to the side, landing next to his father. Spencer helped me onto my feet, as I clutched my left shoulder, glaring at Moltor, as he laughed.

"Power Rangers, huh? You know what?" He mocked, "If you want to be a hero," He stretched out his hand, firing an energy blast towards the volcano's vent, causing a forced eruption. "Then be a hero!" And he vanished. I looked towards the volcano, lava pooled out from the vent and moving rapidly towards the city centre of San Angeles. Shit! The civilians! The Overdrive Rangers gathered around us, I have to help them too, they need extra hands. There will certainly be buildings coming down if the seismic shockwaves were sent out because of the eruption. Then once again, my Lieutenant persona came through. The rangers were saying they should go retrieve the crown, but they need to learn that they maybe here to find the jewels; the protection of the citizens come first. It's what my father Zordon always preached.

"There's no time!" I shouted, shutting them up. "The crown is a fake. Civilians are in danger, we need to help them, as our duty as the Power Rangers! Come on! The civilians don't save themselves." Not in the mood to argue with me, which was good, because they would see a completely different side of me if I'm pissed. Ask my last year's high school students. The six of us headed for the city centre, leaving Andrew and Spencer to return to the mansion.

_ 19:20… _

( _Scene: City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

After we reached the city, it was chaos, as the people fled to get away from the lava flow. I could tell some were trapped, we all decided to split up. Myself an Mack went our own way, Ronny and Will paired up, along with Dax and Rose. We wasted no time and went out separate ways. As I ran through the rubble, fallen by the seismic shockwave, I heard civilians cry out for help. Rhea told me the sound was coming to my left, seeing their exit about to be blocked off. They would have moved, but they were paralysed with fear, I don't blame them. Activating my ninja streak, I raced over, just to see a heavy beam fall; I just barely made it, catching the beam. Focusing on my enhanced strength, thanks to my Eltarian genes, I lifted the beam up on to both my shoulders, almost heaving at the weight on me. I looked the civilians, a mother, father and two children, they were in shock, to see a Ninja Ranger saving them.

"Pink Ranger?" The little girl whispered. I smiled underneath my hood.

"Go!" I ordered, "Now!" Grabbing the kids, the parents rushed out. When they ere out of the vicinity, I dropped the beam, leaping back. Too close, I won't be surprised if I'm caught on the news, so… I'll expect a long lecture by one of my friends, or two. Then, my eyes widened, seeing the lava coming this way. I signalled the parents and kids to run, as I picked up their young girl, as the father had his son in his arms. I ordered them to keep running, almost colliding with Will and Mack, only to find ourselves and the civilians cornered and the lava was flowing towards us. People panicked, not knowing what to do, or even if they could trust the new team of rangers. Then I had an idea, but I'll feel really sorry for the reconstruction workers. If I remember right, Will has the Drive Slammer as his primary weapon. I turned to Will.

"Overdrive Black," I said, also to avoid revealing his real name. "Call your Drive Slammer!",

"Good idea!" He replied and summoned it. He got the idea instantly and brought the hammer down with strong force, splitting the road in two, to form a well. The lava flowed down it, leaving us and the civilians unharmed. It didn't take long for the lava to drain and the volcano to cease its lava flow. I breathed a sigh of relief, as I have the young girl back to her parents. When the mother put her down, the child instantly hugged my waist, and the citizens of San Angeles clapping, praising us for rescuing them. They know, whenever danger appears, the Power Rangers are always on the scene, the people are not alone. Sometimes, they trust us more than their own army or security forces, but we can't be there all the time. It wasn't long for Dax and Rose to join us. Unbeknownst to all the civilians, everywhere, the Power Rangers are human and we walk among them humbly, not as Gods. After spending the better part of an hour, receiving thanks from the people, we were finally allowed to leave and return to Andrew's mansion. Something tells me, things won't be pretty for Mack. I hope Andrew won't be hard on his son, he's already proven he's a capable Red Ranger! More capable than me.

_ 21:00… _

( _Scene: Outside Andrew's Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I spoke too soon when I said the situation between Mack and Andrew would not be pretty; it isn't. Spencer was inside with the father and son, attempting to cease fire on the argument. Myself and the other four Overdrive Rangers stood outside the office, listening to the argument carried out, on the other side. It sort of reminds me of the fighting between my adoptive parents, brings back painful memories. Those two are very stubborn and I hate to their father-son bond strained because of this. I do actually Mack's point of view on this, Andrew is being way too overprotective and it's not right of him to prevent his son from doing what he did so well for a first timer. He led the team, I may have been shouting orders, but Mack got the others to listen to him. He kept his cool and stayed level headed, the few good traits of a red. They're the traits I do have as well, but I'm too scared to lead again. I do see myself as a bad luck charm, a doomed or cursed leader. Soon, the doors opened, with Mack storming out.

"DAMN IT DAD!" He stomped up the stairs, heading to his room and slamming the door. I turned to the rangers.

"Listen, there's guest rooms for you all. Pick one, get some sleep, you had a long day." Murmuring in agreement, the Overdrive Rangers retreated upstairs, to get much needed rest after their little ' _initiation_ ' into the World of the Power a Rangers. When they were out of sight, I walked into Andrew's office, closing the door. I dismissed Spencer, because the archaeologist and I, need time alone. Spencer knew I was in my lecture moods, he didn't want to be there for any of it. When I go off, I go off. I saw Andrew standing at the vault, holding the real Corona Aurora. "You can't protect him forever.",

"I can't lose him Kim. He's all I have left." He told me, "It's why I pushed for you to be the Red Ranger.",

"I appreciate the offer, but… I have demons, that prevent me from leading a group." I admitted and it is true, I still have demons that I need to face, but I haven't yet. "Andrew, Mack has proven himself to be capable Red Ranger, you need to believe in him. Stop shielding him! He's an adult!",

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT RAISING KIDS!?" Roared Andrew, but I stayed unfazed. Not the first time I've been yelled at. Jesus, I hope we didn't wake the rangers.

"You're right, I know nothing. However, I bloody well know what Mack is going through!" I argued to Andrew. "Don't put him through the same experience I did, when I was a child." I heard Andrew scoff and rudely at me.

"Says the alien over there." I lost it and saw red, literally. Walking over to Andrew, sensing my eyes are flashing a dangerous red, I drew my fist back and punched him square in the jaw. He dropped the crown and hit the floor.

"Speak to me like that again Hartford, I will fucking walk away from this operation!" My former lecturer was still recovering from the fist I gave him, as he groaned. I guessed I punched him too hard, I pray Mack won't be upset with me. He will either be upset or thank me for it. Let's see if that made Andrew see some sense into that hard headed skull of his. Our war of words was interrupted when we both heard a familiar voice. Andrew, somehow stood up, slightly wobbly from my punch, as we both faced Moltor and his Lava Lizards. Fuck! They found a way inside without tripping the alarm, guess the lizard freaks were doing reconnaissance this morning, until Will busted them.

"As touching as this is." Growled Moltor, "Give me the real crown!" Damn it! He figured it out! Getting in front of Andrew, I was about to morph, until Moltor fired a laser beam at both of us. I got the brunt of it, slamming into Andrew and then… the last thing I felt was hitting the wall hard, before crumblimg to the floor and all I see was fading to black.

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Assemble Project Operation Overdrive Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new Overdrive Ranger set out to rescue Andrew, while Kimberly looks back on her childhood and reflects on her role as a mentor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the song Power Rangers Operation Overdrive - Transcenders ft. J7 D'Star.

_"The strength of the team is each individual member._

_The strength of each member is the team."_

\- Phil Jackson

* * *

 Chapter 2: Assemble Project Operation Overdrive Part II

* * *

_Next Day…_

_9:30…_

_Wednesday…_

_23rd May 2006…_

Canon: _Kick Into Overdrive Part II_

( _Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Andreas, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

When morning broke through, all four of the Overdrive Rangers, even Mack decided to get up and have breakfast. Things were still a little tense after the fight between Mack and his dad, about who should really have the Overdrive powers. Dr. Hart stayed behind to speak to his dad about something, no doubt a lecture. Mack was confident if there's one person who could knock some sense into his only parent, it's the former ranger. While she did help them save the civilians, something in his gut told him it would be the first and last; he even had a feeling that his dad left the Red Overdrive Tracker for Dr. Hart. She was meant to lead them, the Historian had the most ranger experience and especially being the first, but it was obvious to all of them that something was stopping her. Pondering on the thought, Mack decided to apologise to his father, relieve any tensions from yesterday. The gang walked down the stairs, all agreeing to stop by Andrew's office first. Standing outside it, Mack took a deep breath before knocking on the door but… no one answered. He tried again, his dad still didn't call him to enter and this caused him to look back to his newfound friends; Mack could see the uneasiness on their faces. Opening the door, they entered, only to see the entire office was thrashed, like someone ransacked it. The one thing that worried them was Andrew was nowhere to be seen. The group were jolted out of their shock when they heard Rose.

They all turned, to see Dr. Hart lying on the floor unconscious and the Pink Overdrive Ranger shaking her shoulder; trying to wake their mentor up.

"Dr. Hart! Can you hear me?" She called out, "It's me, Rose!" A few moments passed, Kimberly finally stirred, groaning out loud. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, they can get answers from their ranger mentor as to what happened to Andrew and how she was knocked out. Rose gently lifted Kimberly, with help from Dax, bringing Kim to a chair to sit her down. Kim shook her head a few times, trying to get rid of the cobwebs in her mind. Mack told Will to go to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and he went.

"Did someone get the Zord that hit me?" She muttered, making everyone in the room chuckle, as it did baffle them on how she retains her humour. It seemed like Dr. Hart was coming round. The Overdrive Rangers were somewhat relieved that their mentor was somewhat unhurt, depending on the definition of that in the ranger handbook. Will returned with the glass of water that Mack asked to get him and handed it to Kimberly. Lifting her head, she took the glass with a small smile and sipped it. The water eased the dryness in her throat, it felt like heaven to her, then put the glass on the desk and stood up, much to their surprise and worry. She gave them all a look that insisted she was fine and they opted not to argue with her. Being rookies, they have yet to learn that no ranger wants to anger a Pink Ranger, because according to previous ranger teams, it's the last thing they want to do; unless they're asking for a literal death sentence. That was when Mack decided to question his father's research assistant.

"Dr. Hart, what happened? Where's my dad?" Hearing the worry in his voice, Kim decided to not beat around the bush, like she ever does… well… she did during her rough times.

"Moltor located us, he realised the crown was a counterfeit. He attacked us and the rest was all blurry. However, he has no doubt taken your father and made off with the Corona Aurora." Kimberly knows there is little time, Andrew is going to kill her, but Mack has to step into the role of Overdrive Red and maybe, just maybe; it might be enough to persuade Andrew in letting his son be the leader. As a not-so veteran Lieutenant, Kim feels she is just going to get the kids hurt; she lost too many under command and lost her best friend Bohan. While the former Pink Ranger recovered from the loss, the pain can never go away. Walking over to the damaged safe, Kim pulled out the undamaged Overdrive Tracker, then turned and handed it to a surprised Mack.

"But Doctor-" He was interrupted,

"This is meant for you Mack." Kim said sternly, "It's time you forge your own destiny." Nodding firmly, Mack accepted the device and they followed their mentor down to base. They can't exactly go in blind, they need to locate Dr. Hartford first and it so happens that Andrew keeps a tracking chip hidden in his watch.

_ 10:10… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Andreas, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

The rangers stood behind me, as I typed at the computers to pinpoint Andrew's tracking chip. I have to thank Billy whenever I get the chance, he insisted that my former lecturer have one him; because if anything happened to me, Tommy is going to be the first to find out through our connection and second, I can be located via my Ninjetti energy signature. Annoyingly, the chip is patched through to the satellite, which I have to access first and that is stupid time being wasted. Moltor is no doubt interrogating or beating the crap out of Andrew and I have a hunch that Fluious will be showing his icicle face very soon. Behind me, Mack didn't like the silence between us and decided to ask me a question while I worked.

"Dr. Hart," He said, "If you don't mind me asking… was the Red Overdrive Tracker meant for you?" While I waited for the co-ordinates of the tracking chip to come up, I sighed upon hearing that question. I might as well tell them straight. I turned to the team.

"Yes, your father wanted me to lead this team. He wanted me to be the Red Ranger.",

"So, what stopped you?" Ronny asked, confused at the thought; since I was the first Pink Ranger, why would I decline the chance to be a ranger again? They know I have the most experience, this should be a walk in the park for me. Sadly, it's not. My reasons link to what happened to me in the past. Can I open myself up to this team? Tell them who I really am? Where I come from? My heritage? My leading involvement in _Countdown To Destruction_.

"There are some things I have done in the past, that I'm not proud of." I replied, being sort of vague on the truth. "I don't feel I am worthy to wield the Power again." Suddenly, the computer beeped, notifying us that the information from the tracking chip has been processed, therefore Andrew has been successfully located. It also saved me from further questioning, I… it's not that I don't trust them, I feel they are not ready to hear who their mentor really is. Turning to the computer, I brought up Andrew's co-ordinates, only to see he is far out from the state; like I mean not exactly driving distance. "Seems like Moltor is holding your father inside the volcano of Yellowstone National Park.",

"Yellowstone!?" Dax exclaimed, "That's between the borders of Idaho and Montana! How are we going to get there?" Without turning, I smirked. The best thing about being a ranger, is we know how to get to locations in style and in a matter of minutes, faster than any known vehicle. Unfortunately, Billy couldn't get the teleportation system for the Overdrive Rangers to work, let alone up and running; instead, we collaborated with him and NASADA, along with Lightspeed to engineer something better. Typing in more commands, I brought a full visual of their transport and stepped aside to show the recruits.

"Rangers, may I introduce you to your everyday ranger means of transport. This is the Special Hydro Aero Reconnaissance Craft." They all had a look of awe on their faces, it looks like your everyday jet, only bigger, sleeker and faster. It's a good thing us rangers have a friendly compromise with the Air Force, thanks to a good friend and the US Army; so there's no fear of being identified as an unregistered aircraft and worse: unintentionally shot down. "If that's a mouthful for you all, SHARC will do. It will get to your desired location in decent time and can reach max speeds of Mach Four." Their jaws dropped upon hearing that, that's roughly a little over four-thousand kilometres per hour. They were heading for the hangar bay, only for to stop Mack for moment.

"What's up Hart?",

"Um… tell your dad that I'm sorry for punching him." I said awkwardly. It was sort of humorous because Mack had a look of shock on his, so he's going to be expecting a story from me and why I punched his dad. Moving on, he slid down the firepole to catch up with the others and to board the SHARC. I turned back to the screen, to see the kids getting onto the jet, obviously Ronny being the speed demon; in both a literal and metaphorical sense, was more than happy to be the pilot. I guess she liked the sound of a vehicle that can hit Mach Four, which is over the normal speed of sound. As I watched, my mind suddenly shifted back to the past, the time when my father and I were actually close.

**_ Twenty-one Years Ago… _ **

**_ 15:00… _ **

**_ Friday… _ **

**_ 10th April 1985… _ **

**Canon: _Pre-Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers_**

( **Flashback** / ** _Hart Household, Angel Grove, California, Earth_** / _No POV_ )

**It was a typical warm, Californian sunny day, a little girl with brown-caramel hair and dressed in light pink was giggling as she reached for the next tree branch, being sure that it was able to take her weight. There's an advantage of having a large tree in the back garden and the little girl was surely taking advantage of it, as she neared an open window. From where she stood, the little girl could see her father pacing inside his study, reading a book. Little Kimberly has been fascinated with her father's interest in History and whenever he lets her, join him with his research or teaching her topics that her school wouldn't go into. While still in kindergarten, it was made clear to the parents of Kimberly Hart, by her teacher, that she is a bright young girl; with an intelligence that challenges her best friend Billy Cranston. While Billy leaned towards Science and Technology, Kim was into History and does excel in Science, English and Math too; but it was clear History was her favourite subject, no thanks to him. Kevin was proud of the fact he was being a great influence on his daughter. When asked the idea of bumping her up a grade or two, Kimberly refused, she wanted to be with her friends and only with them, for her entire school career. In her files, it was kept note that when she advances to higher grades in the education system, to be asked if she is interested in taking up Advanced Placement subjects, subjects like History, Science, Math and English. The teachers knew it will be a matter of time before she starts finding classes boring or they'll just run out of things to teach her.**

**Kimberly reached out for the windowsill, her small hands grabbing it and managed to pull herself up; because of her gymnastics, the young girl of age six has quickly built up impressive upper body strength. Kevin turned to see his daughter standing on the window. He put his book down and chuckled out loud. It was a good thing his wife was out doing the grocery shopping, if she heard Kimberly scaled the tree to get into his office again, she'd have a heart attack. Some days, Kevin regrets letting her do gymnastics, it now encouraged her to climb everything, but he doesn't mind it. Little Kim needs to burn off energy and climbing is one way to do it, he also lets Kim practice Karate with their neighbour Jason Scott. The Scott family are good, life long friends, he and his wife went to high school with them. The thirty-five year old Historian still couldn't believe it's been six years since he and his wife took in this child, left on their front doorstep, in a strange casket and a letter written in a language neither could comprehend. Watching his daughter grow, it was almost unbelievable that there is alien life beyond Earth and they probably look like them. Where did their daughter come from? Why was she sent here? What happened on her home planet? It was starting to be a bit like a Superman/Clark Kent scenario, who knows? Perhaps Krypton does exist, which caused him to chuckle mentally. Wherever his daughter came from, her parents do not have to worry, she is in safe hands. Kevin snapped out of his long drawn thoughts, walking over to Kimberly, still chuckling at her. He lifted her off the windowsill as he said:**

**"Kimmy Cub, still refusing to use the door I see? You know your mother hates seeing you climb the tree outside.",**

**"But dad!" Kim groaned, "It's so much easier than climbing the stairs.",**

**"You are such a little monkey." Kevin smirked, making his daughter giggle. He stared right into Kim's doe-brown eyes, they were full of wonder, life and curiosity. Kevin sees a hunger for knowledge in her, it's why he agreed to teach her few extra topics, he saw she was getting bored at the standard History Curriculum. He also guessed being from another planet, their intelligence is far greater than humans and so far, it is just assumed Kimberly is very smart for her age. When she goes into Middle School, an Intelligence Quotient Test is assigned for her, Caroline insisted they wait till she's either eleven or twelve. "Don't worry Kim, she doesn't have to know. Say, since I'm nearly finished, how about we go out to the mountains together?" Kimberly's face lit up and it was adorable.**

**"Can we daddy!?",**

**"Of course my little princess and I will tell you the story of the legend of the White Stranger of Angel Grove in the nineteenth century." Apart from teaching her Ancient Civilisations, the legend surrounding the White Stranger was always his daughter's favourite story; it not clear whether or not he actually existed, in a way, it's a fairytale to his daughter, just a Wild West version. A cowboy dressed in white, with a matching white cowboy hat, riding a white horse to save the day; appearing at the moment danger occurs. Then, like his name, as quickly as he appears, he disappears; no one knows his name or if anyone is descended from him. After cleaning up his belongings, Kevin grabbed the book about the White Stranger and both he and his daughter left the study.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Why did you have to leave dad? What happened? Where did you go? Who was coming after you? So many questions that I need answered and for all I know, there are probably more questions than answers. A part of me feels angry that he left, watching him leave was like tearing a piece of my heart of out, the two of us were so close… I guess I was closer to my adoptive father than I was to mom; she did admit to me that she was jealous of the relationship the two of us had. Maybe a part of me was being selfish, I didn't spend that much time with mom, so no wonder she and I were so distant; especially when I was heading into my teenage years. I wasn't rebellious or anything like that, we just didn't see eye to eye and mom did become a little controlling. While dad encouraged me to keep up the Karate with my pseudo-brother Jason, mom wanted me to stop and focus on gymnastics. Mom began to disagree with a lot of things I was doing and it frustrated me. That was when I began staying at my friend's house instead, when I couldn't take it or hit my boiling point; I'd just pack what I need and walk out for a few days until things calmed down. Hell! I even spent time at Ernie's house and I began seeing him as an uncle. I was slowly building up a little family that understood me.

I turned my attention back to the screen, seeing Dax use his zip line to save Andrew after Moltor attempted to toss him into the lava. I shivered, ever since Maligore, I have suddenly developed a fear of lava. The Blue Overdrive Ranger used his ability once again and caught Andrew in the nick of time. Bringing up another screen, the other four rangers were fending of the Chillers. Wait! Chillers!? Wonderful, Fluious; the self proclaimed ' _Ice King_ ' has decided to make his debut. Looks like that starts the dangerous Piggy-In-The-Middle. I swear if more enemies show up for the crown, this will really stretch us thin. Not to mention, the brothers don't exactly get along, most likely they will fight each other, as much as they fight us. This will be a long messy battle not just for the crown, but the jewels too; I won't be surprised if they try piggy-backing us. Continuing to watch the fight, Dax returned to the others, allowing Andrew to get on into the SHARC, while they finished off the last of the Chillers. Fluious won't be happy to hear he lost some foot soldiers to a group of ' _newbie_ ' rangers. Also, note to myself: to contact some old friends to train in the Overdrive Rangers, to prepare them for unmorphed combat. It is vital they know how to fight without their powers. They can't rely on them too much. I can thank god, first day for the kids, no monster was sent out and brought to Megazord size, but it also won't be long till they have to handle that too.

"You should be out there Mrs. Oliver." Said a voice behind me. I yelped out of genuine fright, twirling around to see Spencer behind me. I placed my hand against my chest, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart rate.

"Fuck Spencer!" I growled, "Don't scare me like that!" The butler of Hartford Mansion chuckled a little.

"Think of it as payback for locking me in the walk-in freezer." Ah man! He still hasn't forgiven me for that!? It was accident! I found the freezer opened, not realising he was in there and I just shut the door. Andrew spent twenty minutes looking for him, until Mack heard a furious knocking sound coming from it, the three of us found him; cold, alive and with tiny little icicles forming on his suit. He will never let me live it down and it will only be a matter of time, before he tells my husband and all my friends. After that lighthearted joke, Spencer got a little serious. "Had you accepted the powers Mrs. Oliver, you would have been out there on the battlefield.",

"I have already explained my reason Spencer. I can't bring myself to hold the Power again." I said to him, my voice getting slightly shaky. "I have lost many of those closest to me under my command. I'll just get them hurt." The butler walked up beside me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Or you are afraid of something that happened long ago will repeat once more." I swallowed a lump in my throat, hearing those words from a humble butler, it's like I'm listening to my father Zordon; as if he never left. There is truth in his words, I am still haunted by _Countdown To Destruction_. The Eltarians have called the attack on their planet The Second Siege of Eltar. While my nightmares and flashbacks are not as severe as they once were, they do come sometimes. On top of all that, I still have bad reactions to loud noise; while most of the time I flinch, it does cause me to have a trigger. The last one I had was in Angel Grove. Tommy and I took a trip over to meet Kat and Billy, also to hang out at Ernie's. He is well aware of our history as Power Rangers, he knows I played an important role in the war, but no more than that. Ernie figured it was serious enough if I had a service dog at my side, vest and all for further evidence.

As the Youth Centre was quiet, Ernie decided to join us for a smoothie outside in the typical, sunny Californian weather; Eltar is similar, though not as hot. It's more moderate, like Ireland, decent balance between sun and rain, it was mild really. Once we sat down, the five us had a nice catch up; Billy's company was running well, Kat's dance studio continued to grow in popularity and the Youth Centre as hardly changed, maybe except for new features. Ernie took some tips from Hayley, setting up a couple of computers for the students and public; Billy got the computers for him as a kind gesture, the gym was still there and some kids learning gymnastics use the beam I used to practice on. Hm, good memories. Anyways, there was a car nearby, the owner was trying to start it, only for it to suddenly backfire; it caused me to drop the smoothie glass and the memories I wanted to forget all flooded back in. I couldn't breathe, the sounds of war filled my head; I just saw and heard it all again. Thank god for Rex, he went straight into action to calm me down, while Tommy did the same. Kat, Billy and Ernie stepped back to give us space, not to overcrowd us. It took them ten minutes to bring me back, get my mind out of the war that finished seven years ago. Of course, Ernie was asking questions now, he recognised the reaction to be connected to PTSD. The response he gave me was:

 _"Kimberly, you are the last person I would think of, to see you suffer Post-traumatic Stress Disorder."_ We all had to bring Ernie inside so we could discuss the topic in private. It was a long explanation, but he understood and he was glad to hear that I'm continuing my counselling sessions. He did place a finger that it's with a former ranger, Ernie figured that anything that is ranger related, stays in our close knit circle. My pseudo-uncle was shocked that I wasn't born on Earth, but on Eltar and I was a part of their military. He couldn't comprehend how I went from being wanting to be a gold medal gymnast to a soldier, specifically a Lieutenant and leading in the war on my home planet. I did somehow, open up enough to tell him of my time being tortured by The United Alliance of Evil; even my adoptive mother and stepfather had a hard time believing that, that I steeled myself and put up with such physical pain being inflicted on me. They were surprised that I didn't break. The phantom pains from my scars come and go too and they are still sensitive to touch. When I told her I was still getting pain… well… more discomfort from them, she contacted another former ranger: Kelsey Winslow. It sort of surprised me, because if I remember from the ranger video; she was the adrenaline junky, wild horse of the Lightspeed Rangers. I guessed that she decided to settle down and got a diploma in Physical Therapy and did some specialised course. I think Dana said it was Kinesiology, then topped it with a certificate in Massage Therapy. Her job doesn't stop her from climbing in her free time, it did land her some sports scholarships and also climbs for charity too. Anyways, Kelsey was more than happy to help me, especially as I was a former ranger too, the help from her was appreciated; but it took her some time to get used to sight of my scarred and near mutilated back. Once she got over that, Kelsey practically worked her magic. I go to her and Dana when I can, but since I'm helping Andrew, I'm too busy at the moment.

Snapping myself out of the past, I watched as the team boarded the SHARC to return home. Looks like they won't be too long to reach the mansion. I better call some friends to ' _break_ ' the new team into preparation for unmorphed combat scenarios. You never know if you suddenly lose your powers or become disconnected from the Morphing Grid. You can't let yourself be too comfortable in the spandex. I was smirking to myself, because I knew the exact people to call. Whipping out my phone, I walked away from Spencer, as I speed dialled an old friend. I waited for the call to be answered, after another five seconds, my call was received.

"Hey!" I greeted, "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, do you think you can bring your husband, along with his work partner and wife?" I listened to the question she asked me. "Why? Say, how would you feel about ' _breaking_ ' a bunch of new rangers in?" My tone became teasing, Spencer turned to me with a very worried look on his face. Suddenly, her own tone changed and I was getting yelled at all of a sudden. "Hey! Don't yell at me! I'm just a mentor! I'm not back in the fucking spandex Colonel Yellow Eagle!" I growled, using my contact's code name and the military position in a mocking matter, but my friend knows I'm teasing. No harm done. "Look, can you, Quantum and the two time-crossed lovers come to Hartford's mansion this week?" Yellow Eagle let out a sigh, but chuckled in the end. Like any Yellow Ranger, it was a chuckle of evil excitement. She gave her answer. "Tomorrow? That soon? Alright then. Nice speaking to you. See you tomorrow then." I hung up on the phone. Looks like _Unmorphed Combat 101_ is in session. Spencer was still looking at me with slight worry, the only response I could give him was a sweet smile, to assure him I am not actually going to break them.

By then, we heard the sound of the elevator, as the kids and Andrew ascended from the hangar. I gave Andrew a tight hug, genuinely glad that he is not hurt, except for the fact I punched him. He actually told Mack that story and the archaeologist felt he deserved being a cold ass towards me. I don't blame him, you say a lot of hurtful things when you are angry. Andrew turned to his Mack, finally agreeing to letting him lead the Overdrive Rangers, it made me smile in the background. My lecturer has to accept that his son is old enough to make his own decisions and let him out into the world. I went over to pick up the Overdrive uniform and it to Mack, telling him to put it on. Nodding, Mack went off to change while I set up the DNA Gene Sequencer to sort out his abilities. It didn't take Mack long, fully dressed in the uniform and if I'm honest, it looks better on him, than it would on me. I told Mack to stand between the devices and I turned it on, letting it do its job. Once the process was finished, Andrew turned off the device.

"How do you feel Mack?" Ronny asked him,

"I feel the same honestly." He replied, only to frown. He turned to Spencer, reaching out with one hand, we watched as he lifted the elderly butler a good few inches off the ground! It all instantly clicked to us, that Mack's ability was Superhuman Strength, how handy. Mack out Spencer down before he gave the old guy a heart attack. I looked at the new team of rangers: Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, there's a nice ring to it. I do feel they will be worthy to have a place in the Power Ranger Legacy, a legacy my father started back all the way in nineteen-ninety-three. The thought made me clutch my necklace. That was when Andrew turned his attention to me.

"So Kim, any words of wisdom to the team?" What's there to say? I looked at the five-man well… mixed gender team analytically.

"I actually don't have much to say." I said to them, honestly. "The only advice I can give is: as long you all work together, no one can defeat you. No one!" They felt encouraged by it, the team was in the mood to celebrate, have some pizza. I looked at my wrist watch, it was already close to six in the evening, they will all no doubt be hungry, on top of all that, we have to order extra for Ronny. As I noticed with Conor with his Super Speed, he needed to consume for calories than the average human; it will be the same for Ronny. She needs more energy to maintain the Super Speed. Andrew agreed, but obviously we have to start tracking down the five jewels of the Corona Aurora. So while Andrew does that, I will have to help prepare the team for combat without their powers with some help; must notify him about that. Aside from that, we all left the base to sort out food and celebrate the fact, the recruits survived first time as Power Rangers. The road will be tough and with any new team, there will slight problems, I will only be able to give advice; I can't diffuse it for them, Mack will have to grow into his role as a leader. If there is problems in the team, not only he, but all of them will have to sort them out somehow and they overcome those problems, it will only bring them closer together as a true team.

 _"You are proud of them already, are you not Kara?"_ Rhea asked me mentally. I responded back to her using my connection to her.

"Yes, there will be obstacles along the way, but they will persevere over them." Following the team into the elevator, the door closed and it brought us back up to the main part of the mansion. It's time for the archaeological adventure of a lifetime.

* * *

  _"Go Rangers, go Rangers! Go! Go! Go!_

_Go Rangers, go Rangers! Go! Go! Go!_

_Power Rangers, Operation Overdrive!_

_Power Rangers, Operation Overdrive!_

_Watch five fingers reaching for the sky in five ways,_

_Five heroes walking through the sun for five days,_

_Dark forces lurking, leaving evil where they roam,_

_Five Rangers looking for the same five stones!_

_Go! Go! Go!_

_There's treasures to be found, there's some lives to be saved,_

_Our planet to look after, there's a whole lot of space!_

_Good versus Evil, we got heroes on the scene,_

_Power Rangers Overdrive is the number one team!_

_Power Rangers, Operation Overdrive!_

_Power Rangers, Operation Overdrive!"_


	4. To Grow As a Team (The Black Corona Jewel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new rangers get a three-day combat session with their predocessors, all the while learning new lessons as they seek the Black Corona Jewel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the song: Handclap - Fitz and the Tantrum.

_"Alone, we can so little; together, we can do so much."_

_\- Hellen Keller_

* * *

Chapter 3: To Grow As a Team (The Black Corona Jewel)

* * *

_ Next Day… _

_ 6:20… _

_ Thursday… _

_ 24th May 2006… _

Canon: _Pre-The Underwater World_

( _Scene: Kitchen, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Rangers were gathered in the kitchen having an early breakfast. Before they all headed to bed last night, Dr. Hart told them to be up early, as she has a training session prepared for them. They couldn't really argue, they are still new to the ranger business, it was obvious she was trying to make a statement that they can't always rely on their abilities and ranger powers. Sometimes, you have to make do with raw fighting tactics, tactics that they lack. All five of them are not very experienced in combat without their morphing abilities, despite the fact the Morphing Grid gave them combat knowledge. Anyways, the rangers did not argue with their mentor, she is trying to help them be a better team and improve skills where they lack. On the other hand, Dax was staring at Ronny with a raised eyebrow, as he watched her pour her third bowl of cereal and did not look one bit ashamed about it. It shouldn't come as a surprise, since they all watched her devour two large pizzas, a large drink, fries and some garlic bread. They all figured there was a reason why Dr. Kimberly ordered five large pizzas; at which they thought she was overspending, but no, she must have had experience with a ranger who had the power of Super Speed. Their mentor was quick to explain about the slight alterations in Ronny's body, since she has Super Speed, her body has to compensate for the energy being used up and make some… adaptations.

First thing it did was speed up her metabolism, which explains the need for the consumption of higher calories; this gave Ronny a very good excuse to stock up on high energy and sugary foods plus drinks. Second, since the Yellow Overdrive Ranger can reach speeds up to Mach 2, her skin and muscles had to form a resistance, to avoid being shredded to pieces and set on fire by air resistance alone. It also protects and prevents her internal organs from being… either turned to mush or liquified. It's a good thing that the Morphing Grid offered her such protection, by adding a speed shield for the lack of a better word. Kimberly explained it was similar to another ranger she remembered, who had the exact same ability and had to adapt to these changes. He even has to adapt to them now, as his Dino Gem is still active, so now, most of his team members think he's an alien or just has a crazy metabolism. So yes, Ronny has a few more requirements compared to the others. William just has to make sure he does not go into sensory overload, Mack has to control his strength, same goes for Rose with her invisibility and then there's Dax. He is a bit of a flighty person, a little hyperactive too, so Kim has to be sure he doesn't go jumping thirty-five feet into the air, if a normal person sets off his ranger reflexes.

It wasn't long for them to be joined by Mack's father and Dr. Hart herself. It seems like they had a late night, trying to get a start in locating the first Corona Jewel: the Black Corona Jewel. The sooner they get a head start, the better and so far, Moltor and Fluious are keeping their heads down. Kim says they are buying their time, waiting to piggyback them. Basically, in simpler terms, the rangers do all the work and suddenly it's a battle for the jewel. For the time being, they seemed to have come up empty and the note's belonging to Dr. Hart's father are leading them nowhere. While Dr. Kevin Hart was a controversial figure in the face of the public with his research, his work still peaked Rose's curiosity and knowing her mentor is a fellow Pink, maybe it will allow them to bond a little. Kimberly went over to the counter to pour herself and Andrew some much needed coffee, when all of a sudden, she let out a gasp, causing everyone to turn. Their mentor was hunched over, with a look of pain on her face, with one hand behind her back. The rangers were unsure of what to do, but it didn't take long for Kim to recover from the jolt of pain. They wanted to ask what that was about, but even after a day, knowing their mentor, she will only tell them it's just an old injury that flares every now and then; considering their options, it was best not to push the veteran ranger and respect her privacy.

When everyone was finished breakfast, they all worked together to tidy up and put the dishes away, also to make Spencer's life a little easier. This was while Kim filled them in on today's activity. Without warning, the door bell rang, which Spencer went out to open and greet the guests. It didn't take him long to come back with four unknown people behind him, all dressed in training clothes. The first pair, was a tall Hispanic man, fairly tanned skin with black hair; he had an authoritative aura surrounding, as his brown eyes looked at them all. He wore a red training shirt. Beside him was a blonde haired woman, dressed in yellow, her hair tied back in a tight bun, her blue eyes staring them with similar authority. The second pair appeared a little more relaxed, the pair were almost similar with the brunette hair and brown eyes; but they seemed nicer compared to the other two. The male was also wearing red, the female wore pink, like their mentor. Kimberly simply smiled, walking over to them and gave the four a welcoming hug, which surprised the rangers. Their mentor turned to them.

"Kids, these four people are friends of mine. They're past rangers. Would you mind introducing yourselves?" Nodding, the Hispanic man dressed in red stepped forward.

"I'm Eric Meyers, the Time Force Quantum Ranger." Next was the blonde wearing yellow.

"My name is Taylor Earhart-Meyers. Eric is my husband and my position in the legacy is the Yellow Eagle Wild Force Ranger." The rookies smiled at the former ranger dressed in yellow. Then finally were the two time-crossed lovers.

"Wesley Collins, but please call me Wes; and I'm the Red Time Force Ranger." The rookie rangers waved shyly at him.

"And may I introduce myself as Jennifer Scott-Collins, but Jen is fine. I'm the Pink Time Force Ranger." She said. Kim spoke to the rangers again.

"The reason I called them all here, is give you some self-defence lessons and prepare you for unmorphed combat. Along with myself, they are helping me coach you." Kim explained, "So without further ado, let's take this to the back." With introductions over, the other four veteran rangers and the rookies followed Kim to the back, as Andrew retreated to his office to find more clues concerning the location of the Black Corona Jewel.

_ 9:30… _

_ Unmorphed Combat 101: Day 1… _

( _Scene: Back Garden, Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Once I led everyone outisde, I got the rookie rangers to stand in a line, while Eric, Taylor, Wes and Jen stood beside me. Time to get lessons underway and I decided to let Eric begin the lecture. Kind of like myself and my team with the Putties, Super Putties and Z-Putties, he and his squad faced Cyclobots even before morphing, same for Wes and Jen. Taylor did tell me she did have a few fights with Master Org's foot soldiers without her morphing abilities and they even took down a monster without them too. It sort of reminded me of the time my friends and I travelled to the North Pole to rescue Santa, his elves and workshop, believe it or not. Up at the North Pole, our powers were practically usesless, so we have to use our brains to work around the problem and thankfully, we did. As Eric talked in his typical Silver Guardians persona, I saw Will getting a little bored, while the rest of the team were listening to every word Eric said; of course Will's boredom did go unnoticed by Taylor, along with Jen; both expressing distaste to his behaviour. Is he asking to get himself hurt, injured or killed?

I mentally sighed, also hearing Rhea, because she sensed I was not happy, another bad sign is that I felt Firebird stirring; wanting to slice Will's head from his shoulders. I pushed my alter ego back down, on some occasions she tries to surface, but I stop her in time. Firebird doesn't know when to give up, even after my friends and I sealed her away again. Anyways, the first unmorphed fight with the Lava Lizards, they all got lucky because they mastered their powers; however none of them have formal training in a style of Martial Arts, even Self-defence. Tommy admitted his team, in his Turbo days were lenient on the sparring sessions, only following their instincts. If heard that before leaving, I would have bashed his head in and put him through the ringer, along with the others. This is why the males of the first and second generation Original Rangers are scared of me; thanks mother and father for letting me inherit both of your temper, it's a miracle that I have Uncle Ninjor's and Aunt Dulcea's legendary patience. Last time I needed to vent, was back in high school, now they were many times someone pissed me off and I dragged Tommy to the mats to let loose. One time, some asshole named Jake, a student who was a grade above myself and my friends, he tried to ask me out; on numerous times, not realising that I was dating Tommy. He was more irritating than Skull! On several encounters, I wanted to punch his face in, but I had to abide by the three Ranger Rules and I was consenting to Rule Number Two - Never instigate a fight, unless your enemy forces you to. All Jake was doing, was pestering me and imposing on my personal space. It took Tommy to finally scare him off, Jake was considered lucky in my books, as it was Tommy and not Jason. Everyone knows not to upset, piss off or anger my big brother, particularly if something happened to me; let's just say, they will either be in for a world of hurt or left like a whimpering mess, but I was just angry he wouldn't leave me alone.

So what do I do? After school I changed into clothes more suited for sparring and telling Tommy to be dressed appropriately for a sparring session. He did just that and little did he know, I just went all out on him; to the point he struggled to block my blows. The rest of our friends had to come to Tommy's rescue. Though that wasn't half as bad, the worst was when I hit my boiling point with my mom again and I decided to stay at Aisha's house for two nights. This was a little bit before she decided, without asking my input, to move to Paris. Her parents didn't seem to mind it and they kind of noticed a pattern. Mrs. Campbell sat me down with her one night to talk and asked me if everything was alright at home. Now, usually I'm not so open about how things are at home, but I felt so comfortable with Aisha's mom, I just opened up to her and she understood; telling me if I needed a place to stay or if I feel uncomfortable in my own home, their house was always open. I got closer to the Campbell family when offered to let me stay with them till I graduated from high school, when mom decided to move to Paris with Pierre, who's now her husband, my stepfather. I did find it hard to get along with Pierre, found it hard to accept him as my stepfather. My mind drifted back to when I met him in early nineteen-ninety-six, by then, mom and him were already engaged!

_ **Ten Years Ago…** _

_ **16:30…** _

_ **Tuesday…** _

_ **5th February 1996…** _

**Canon: _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers; Pre-A Brush With Destiny_**

( **Flashback** / ** _Scene: Hart Household, Angel Grove, Califorina, Earth_** / _Kimberly's POV_ )

**I inserted the key into the keyhole, turning them and hearing the distinctive click of the lock unlatching. Entering, I closed the behind me, running upstairs to dump my schoolbag in my bedroom. I have to run down, grab a bite to eat, then start homework. Not a day goes by that I dread hearing the six-note tune of the communicator, hearing Zordon's or Alpha's voice telling us that Zedd and Rita had sent down another monster to attack our home. Myself and the others are very lucky to even get our homework or projects in on time! I'm lucky to get my assignments and essays in for AP History for Mrs. Danvers! Don't get me started on the amount of times we had to lie about any injuries or bruises we came home with. Before I found out Zordon is my biological father, Scorpina nicked me good on the shoulder, the wound was an inch deep and it kind of scarred. Long before the wound healed, my shoulder was bandaged and my mom had a bloody heart attack, firing questions at me. Making up excuses for that was not fun.**

**Anyways, descending the stairs again, I reached the kitchen, opening it, to see my mom was not alone. Next to her, almost holding her, was a tall man with brown hair and had light brown eyes; to be fair he was handsome looking, but just moments before I entered, I'm sure I heard his voice. It sounded French, which meant he's from France. What's he doing all the way here in California, America? Not just that, in a town like Angel Grove? I gazed over to the table to see it covered with art supplies. An artist? He's an artist. Interesting choice mom. Mom thought the silence went on long enough and decided to break it.**

**"Kimberly! I'd like you to meet Pierre Dumas." I reached out to shake hands with him.**

**"Kimberly Hart." I said to him and he just smiled.**

**"I know, your mother told me a lot about you." His accent was strong and thick, but his command over the English langauge was excellent. Did she tell him I was adopted too? "So, I heard you like gymnastics and do a little Karate, right?" That confirms no. The last thing he needs to know is that I'm not from Earth.**

**"Yeah." I replied, "Been doing the sport since I was five and Karate is a side hobby.",**

**"Kim, Pierre is hosting an art exhibition during the week; so he's going to stay here with us. It's cheaper than the hotel." It all clicked in an instant, I wasn't born yesterday!**

**"Are you both… together?" Pierre suddenly caught my mom's hand, which she returned with a gentle squeeze. That's a yes then. I can't argue, she finally found someone to be happy with. Neither of them replied, they saw the look in my face, that said I figured it out. As long as Pierre treats my mom well, I have no qualms and will not have to consider dropping the French artist from my Crane Ninja Zord; although… father and Uncle Ninjor would greatly protest against such action. Jason got away with a similar threat he made on Tommy in case he ever broke my heart. Even though we finally got together, after leaving our friends hanging for four months; Jason threatened Tommy, saying if he did anything to hurt me, he'll crush my boyfriend in the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord's jaws. I don't know which is worse: Jason's threat or my biological mother's. She threatened to strip Tommy of his powers if he did something stupid or would hurt me. My god! My poor boyfriend can't catch a breather. Though, he's lucky he did not get a talk with Aunt Dulcea and Uncle Ninjor.**

**"Actually Kimberly, your mother and I are engaged." Pierre said to me. Hearing that one word caused me to drop my jaw. They're… they are engaged? But how? No one would propose that soon! I thought they only started dating! Then… but that means… Pierre finished my thoughts. "I'm going to be your stepfather." I didn't know whether to be happy or not. I couldn't get even get out a ' _congratulations_ ' or ' _I'm really happy for you both_ '! Mom, sensing my silent distress, turned to Pierre.**

**"Pierre, why don't you put your art supplies in the study upstairs? There's plenty of space for them." Hearing those words made my head snap up and Rhea, in my mind was telling me to calm down. No! I won't have it! Stepfather or not, he is not putting his personal belongings in dad's space! Pierre gathered his belongings and proceeded to head to the door, only for me to block him. He saw my body langauge, straight, stiff, arms crossed. I looked up at the French artist, glaring at him.**

**"You can put your stuff in any other room, except the study." I gritted, "That's off limits.",**

**"Kimberly!" My mom gasped, but I ignored her. Pierre chuckled lightly and said,**

**"W- what's so special about the study?",**

**"It belonged to my father." Pierre heard the emphasis I put on the word ' _my_ '. "You are not imposing on such territory.",**

**"Please Kim!" Begged mom, "Not this again. Your father left me, left you! Why do you still cling to him?",**

**"I cling to him because he's still my dad!" I said angrily, "His office will be left untouched!",**

**"For God's sake Kim! Stop holding onto the past. Kevin walked out on us! He was obsessed with this Corona Aurora bullshit." Father was researching about that crown, researching as if it was actually real. He became obsessed with it, began to spend less time with me and more and more time in his office and even sacrificed his reputation. He rarely came out, sometimes I left food outside the door, only for it to be untouched. Dad still managed to find time in the end to read me my favourite bedtime story, but it was also when the arguments started and they were heated. "He ruined his reputation and chose a fairytale over you!" Suddenly, I hear father's words echo in my mind:**

**_"All myths are stories, but not all stories are myths: among stories, myths hold a special place."_ It was his words I always pondered on, whenever I sit in his study, on my own and reading whatever books he left behind for me, or those I borrowed from the local library. Since I'm still doing AP History, I even nabbed some books from the university library too. Also, I'm still finishing some books I got as a birthday gift from my friends and Tommy last year. While I read all those, I tried to find reason in his words; try to figure out… perhaps myth and truth are more intertwined than we thought. If I'm not figuring out what he meant, I just sit in his study to read and while I read; I feel his presence, like he never left. I may have been angry at him for leaving, I still am, but he's still my dad and I still love him!**

**"Do you have no respect for dad at all, mom?" I argued,**

**"Enough Kimberly!" Mom said in a raised voice, "I will let this slide, but you will have to accept Pierre as your stepfather." Rhea was cringing, preparing for the emotional outburst. I heard my friend's voices in my head due to our Ninjetti connection, which meant they sensed my distress and are begging me to calm down, Tommy's voice was more prominent. However, I couldn't hold my anger in.**

**"He will NEVER be my stepfather!" I yelled, surprising both mom and Pierre. "Pierre won't ever replace my dad and nothing will change that!" Before mom called out to me, I turned on my heels and ran out of the house, heading to the one place I could feel safe; not the lake this time, but the mountains outside the town.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Snapping myself out my family history, Will was still looking bored and it made my eyes flash red. If he's asking to get himself and his team killed, then so be it! I'll teach him a little lesson. I stepped forward, glaring at Will and not caring if anyone noticed my eyes were flashing an unnatural colour. I was quick to go into my Lieutenant personality and stopped in front of him.

"What's the matter recruit? Bored?",

"I thought we were going to do actual sparring." He replied dully,

"If you're so confident about your hand-to-hand skills, then let's spar." I said to him,

"Right now?",

"Now, Overdrive Black." I growled. Without another word, the two of us moved to the centre, as Eric, Taylor, Wes and Jen moved to the side. Getting into position, I bowed out of respect and Will did the same. Both getting into our fighting stance, I waited for Will to make the first move. I think it's time to put him in his place and teach him a lesson about overconfidence. I still didn't make a move and it began to tick my opponent's patience, another few seconds and he lost it; charging at me. How predictable. Will raised his fist for a basic punch, but I simply grabbed him and tripped the Black Ranger over onto the grass. Will skidded across the ground, groaning slightly.

"Want to yield?" I mocked. Will stood up, wiping the grass off his pants.

"I was just being easy." Sure, sure you were. I taunted Will to come at me again and he charged once more, letting out various combinations of boxing techniques. He has no strategy, that will get him injured. Staying calm, I was able to block them all and after dodging the last punch, I dropped to the ground, letting out a sweep kick. This time, he landed on his back.

"Second time I managed to hurt you. If I was your enemy, I would not hold back in breaking your arm." I said to him, cracking my knuckles. "If I was in an unmerciful mood, I would have killed you right there and then." Great! That's something Firebird would say, I have to stop thinking like her sometimes. Getting up once more, Will was getting quite pissed off and drew out the big guns.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" The black light died down and Will was morphed in his ranger suit. I heard the others protesting about the unfairness of that. I glanced over at the veterans, even they were showing peeved looks, while Wes was just face palming and muttering something. Then Rhea was calling him a fool. "What's the matter teach? Not going to go ninja?" He mocked. I crossed my arms.

"I can still beat you without morphing." Will stayed silent. "Well? Come on then." Growling under his helmet, Will ran at me and continued to use the same combination, this time with kicking technique added. To his shock and surprise, I was able to dodge his attacks. Out of anger, he called forth his Drive Slammer, a powerful but slow two-handed weapon. I noticed Will seems to leave openings in his defence here and there, so I decided to exploit that. Waiting for the next opening, it came, ducking under a swing from his hammer and nimbly grabbed his sidearm, the Overdrive Defender without him realising. Putting the weapon into Blade Mode, Will brought his hammer down on me, only for me to block it with his own sidearm. He was shocked that I was able to grab it without him realising it and pushed him back, leaving his defence open. I got in two quick slashes before kicking him away, then switching the Overdrive Defender to Blaster Mode, I fired at him; making him drop his primary weapon and forced him to power down. When he powered down, his Drive Slammer and his sidearm vanished in black light. I approached Will and lent out my hand, but instead, he slapped my hand away, getting up. Such etiquette coming from him, he is not happy that I beat him without and with his ranger powers. That was when Jen stepped forward.

"This is why it is important you learn how to fight and not rely on your powers." She turned to Will, "You saw how easily she dispatched you.",

"Whatever." Will grumbled. Then Taylor joined in.

"Now, get into two groups. Ronny, Rose, you're with myself and Jen. Will, Dax and Mack, go join Eric and Wes.",

"But what about you Dr. Hart?" Mack asked me,

"Your dad can't do all the work himself. Good luck kids!" I walked off to head to Andrew's office and see if we can make sense of my father's notes. Also, I hope the veteran rangers don't actually break the rookies.

_ 12:40… _

( _No POV_ )

_"Turn it up_

_Somebody save your soul 'cause you've been sinning in this city, I know_

_Too many troubles, all these lovers got you losing control_

_You're like a drug to me, a luxury, my sugar and gold_

_I want the good life, every good night you're a hard one to hold."_

After the Overdrive Rangers split into two groups, the training got underway and for the lack of better ways to say it, their predecessors did not hold back. They taught and sparred with them like they haven't even retired from ranger duty. For Ronny and Rose, while they grasped the combat quite quickly, they had difficulty knocking Taylor and Jen to the ground. The fighting style of the former Yellow and Pink Rangers were similar, but it was clear they worked together before and moved seamlessly as they switched between clashing with Rose and Ronny. It was difficult for the new rangers as they haven't exactly found a niche or a fighting style they prefer and so, were knocked on their asses roughly ten times or more; neither were not counting.

The boys weren't faring either against Eric and Wes. The two reds are an unstoppable duo, due to the fact they partnered up with each other working for the Silver Guardians and remained partners for the past four years; despite things were rocky in the beginning. If Eric was honest with himself, Will reminded him of how he was like before, confident in his abilities, but a little arrogant and cocky and it took the final battle to get him to see he was in the wrong with his behaviour. He hopes William will learn that lesson and soon. Their sparring session was just like the girls, they didn't have a niche or a fighting style and they quickly got their asses handed to them. It finally struck how right their mentor is, they have no experience in combat, they're practically useless without their powers; but as Dr. Hart proved, they can even be beaten with their ranger powers. How are they going to find themselves equally worthy as their predecessors?

After a little more time passed, the Overdrive Rangers collapsed on the ground, in a heap completely exhausted and burnt out. They all groaned out in pain, muttering something about feeling muscles they never knew about and like they all got hit by a truck. Rose muttered that she felt like she got punched by the T-800, T-1000 or even the T-X from the _Terminator_ franchise. To be fair, Taylor and Jen have fists like concrete, though Jen hits harder than Taylor. Taylor danced around her and Ronny, only to land a hard punch to their chest or stomach. As for Wes and Eric, the two are like tanks. The four veterans wiped their hands, seemingly proud of their work, but knowing the newbies have much work to put in.

"Well then," Eric said, "Class dismissed until tomorrow same time." With proud smirking faces, the veterans walked off inside to get a drink and perhaps raid the kitchen, all while leaving the rookie rangers to gather themselves and recover after today's lesson.

_ 19:30… _

( _No POV_ )

The veteran and rookie rangers were gathered in the sitting room, eating pizza and getting to know each other. Andrew was with them and even Spencer, even as a butler, Mack and Andrew treated the elderly butler as a member of the family. The archaeologist paid for the food, also keeping in mind with Ronny's altered metabolism. Progress to find clues for the location of the Black Corona Jewel was slow and albeit, a little frustrating; Andrew knew he had to take break, otherwise he would go crazy. However, the opposite was for Kimberly. She promised to join them a while later, but that was an hour ago. The Ninjetti Ranger never bothered to stop for a break and helped Andrew for a full eight hours straight and her only break was Spencer bringing them coffee; surely she has to be hungry by now. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of her and looked as if she cooped herself in his office, scourging through her father's notes.

Thankfully, Jen, the former Pink Time Force Ranger, but still holds onto her Chrono Morpher; noticed the mentor for this team was still nowhere to be seen and some of the team worried about her wellbeing. Though, if anyone knows Kimberly well, you might as well be talking to a titanium wall, not concrete. That description alone shows Kimberly is very stubborn and many people usually back down or give up, but Jen is quite confident in herself to drag Tommy's wife out; last thing he needs to hear is his Beautiful not looking after herself. The worst she can do is calling the infamous Devil's Trio: Trinity ' _Trini_ ' Kwan-Scott, Aisha Campbell-DeSantos and Katherine ' _Kat_ ' Hilliard-Cranston. The nickname alone for the three of them needs no explanation. Putting her drink down on the table, Jen stood up as everyone looked at her.

"Don't worry kids, I'll get your mentor out for some food." And she winked at them. Andrew is silently praying that it will be a peaceful confrontation, because he heard when two Pink Rangers go off on each other, it's not pretty; and something you would not want to get caught in the middle of. Leaving the group, Jen walked over to the door of Andrew's office and politely knocked. She waited for Kim to reply and finally got one.

"Five more minutes Andrew! I'll come out for food then." Jen sighed to herself, she did read one or two news clippings about the first Pink Ranger's father and how he lost his reputation among his peers because of the Corona Aurora. Little do they know that he was right all along. It's a shame he is reported missing, but some believe he is dead. That would be hard and heartbreaking for her friend to hear and Kim wants answers to why he left her. It doesn't take a genius to know that Kimberly had a very strong bond with her dad. Jen called out to Kim.

"Kimberly! Five more minutes was an hour ago!" She said through the door, "Will you just stop to eat? Your research isn't going anywhere!" On the other side, there was movement and a small ' _thud_ '. Seems like Kimberly was going through books, a lot of books.

"I'm close to something Jen! I can't stop now!" By the Power and God have mercy on her! Just like Dr. Kevin Hart, when onto something, you just can't stop. Looks like the Pink Crane Ninjetti picked up a few of her father's habits, which is both good and bad. Jen had quite enough and resorted to more forceful tactics.

"Do you want me to drop you in an alternate universe!?" She growled, banging hard on the wooden door. Over in the sitting room, the commotion could be heard and some of the veteran rangers were cringing, Wes especially. The red flag is when two Pink Rangers argue, you never want to see that; if it was Pink and any other colour, then it isn't half as bad… well it's bad, but at least it's not between two pinks. Wes hasn't really figured out how the world doesn't explode when the Pink Rangers get mad.

"Been there, done that, wore the t-shirt. Once it's not a universe where I'm evil, I don't care." The former Time Force Ranger could hear the sarcasm, with a healthy dose of snark for good measure. Now that ticked her. Barging into the office, Jen walked towards Kim angrily and literally, picked the petite ranger over her shoulders, with a strength that Katie; the former Yellow Time Force Ranger would be proud of. She is so glad that Kim is short in stature, light too; though… her time with the Eltarian military has made her build an impressive muscle mass, still and all, it's great. The Pink Ranger walked back to the group, with a pissed off Original Pink Ranger on her shoulder and threw her on the couch, placing a plate of two slices of pepperoni pizza on her lap. "I fucking hate you sometimes, Scott.",

"Now, now Kimmy." Wes teased, "No need for such foul language." Kim simply replied to Wes by giving him the middle finger as she ate her pizza slice, causing everyone in the room to laugh. Rose wasn't bothered by it, she heard plenty of students swear and having breakdowns over how much crap they have to cover in the semester. To make it even more hilarious, the Student Union had pity and funded a Breakdown Closet; so student could feel free to release their emotional distress and cry all they want. There's even a supply of tissues and a cute plushie if needed. Fun days, it's also why she gets landed with tutoring too.

Time passed quickly, pizza was long gone, no thanks to Ronny and everyone decided to get an early night sleep. It was something the rangers very much agreed upon, as Eric said they'll have another sparring session. On the other hand, Kimberly wished to return to Andrew's office to do more research, but only to be firmly held back by Jen and Taylor, while Spencer went to lock the office door. The veteran rangers demanded she go to bed too and rest before she works herself to death, which is plausible. Then the last thing on their list is to calm down and comfort five Ninjetti Rangers who are interconnected via mystical tethers. Tommy would be the worst of bunch, being that he also has an alter ego and god knows how much damage he can do as Dragon. Two years ago, they witnessed Firebird's wrath on Reefside and there are still some parts of the city still undergoing repairs or reconstruction. The fires that blazed through the city took ages to out and all of the effort of the entire Reefside Fire Brigade; the people call it _The Great Fire of Reefside_ , because it almost like _The Great Fire of London_. Kim's attack as Firebird left deep scars within the city, all neighbouring cities from Angel Grove to Mariner Bay, Blue Bay Harbour, Silver Hills and even Turtle Cove offered help. It also left haunting memories for Kim herself. Without arguing though, everyone called it for a night and went to get some good night sleep, before more torturous sparring is endured, along with agonising research into the Black Corona Jewel.

_ Next Day… _

_ 9:30… _

_ Friday… _

_ 25th May 2006… _

_ Unmorphed Combat 101: Day 2… _

( _Scene: Andrew's Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

_"'Cause you don't even know_

_I can make your hands clap_

_Said I can make your hands clap."_

I paced inside Andrew's office, as I went through another book, trying to find a reference or a cross-reference to the black jewel. The Overdrive Rangers were sparring with the Time Force Rangers and the Yellow Wild Force Ranger. We can thank our lucky stars that Moltor or Fluious haven't attacked us or the city. It's obvious they're keeping low, until we make a move. I didn't notice Andrew looking at me, but I'm pretty sure with the way I'm acting, I am being like my dad; I guess he would be proud of that, wherever he is now or where he's gone. How is it my life has suddenly become a strange, real life version of _Tomb Raider_? I so can't wait to hear the jokes Zach has cooked up and in my mind, Rhea was just chuckling away, feeling sort of excited to hear them too. I mentally told Rhea not to encourage him or Pardolas; his Dinozord Spirit is equally bad as him. Change my mind, I actually don't want to hear those jokes, since my adoptive mom isn't aware I'm out of the city and become the mentor for a new ranger team; she will demand answers from me and why my friends are dropping archaeology and history related jokes.

Turning my attention back to the book, I was almost getting ticked off and frustrated. Would be nice if the Sentinel Knight actually told us where he flung the jewels to, but it seems like the jewels have a mind of their own; landed where they wished and God knows what happened to them over the millions or hundreds of thousands of years. Suddenly, I just stopped, getting an idea. If the Corona Aurora is as powerful as the manuscripts say, a power to rival the gods themselves; surely the jewels must have some form of power in them too. Perhaps we can try and tap into the jewels energy frequency and locate it directly! Walking over to the fire pole after opening the secret base entrance, Andrew questioned me about what I was doing and I told him my plan. Andrew gave me a smile, liking the idea and followed me down. I pray that this will work.

_ With The Overdrive and Veteran Rangers… _

_ 9:50… _

( _Scene: Back Garden, Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Rangers continued day two of their combat lessons with the veteran rangers and this time, they're slowly managing to find a fighting style that suits them; which made it a tiny bit easier to face against the former rangers. However, since they're still adjusting and tweaking their style, Wes, Eric, Jen and Taylor still managed to knock their students to the grassy ground. They all knew if the rookies don't get their act together, they are going to be slaughtered and especially if they are fighting two enemies at once. Also, they are well aware of Kimberly's PTSD, which is not completely gone, they know she watched a lot of people die; citizens, friends, brothers and sisters in arms, the four veterans figured if Kim watched this team die before her, it will break her and she will never recover. Last straw is if they completely lose her to her alter ego Firebird and she is an enemy no ranger wants to face. Firebird is a name that sends ripples of fear through all past ranger teams and will continue so for the future, they fear her more so than Dragon. Jen heard some of the stories from her cousin: Aaron Callaghan, AKA: his real name being Aegis of Eltar and the famous Phantom Ranger, were pretty horrific and traumatising; he couldn't understand how his cousin managed to move forward… actually how she could bury it all, before it caught up with her. Kimberly is a pink through and through.

Jen quickly ducked under a side kick from Rose, the latest Pink Ranger in the legacy, while Taylor blocked a hook by Ronny. The girls are certainly improving, they are finding their style, but it's not refined. The two veterans decided to finish up the spar to check on the boys, so they waited for the kids to lunge at them and just as they predicted, they did charge forward in attempt to double team. Unfortunately, for a double team to work, you have to work as a team… well, a pair, hence the name and they side-stepped to avoid a kick; grabbed their arms and flipped them onto the ground, hard. Both Rose and Ronny groaned out of frustration, they swore that they nearly had them. The former Yellow and Pink Rangers helped them onto their feet and they accepted the help.

"Much better than yesterday." Taylor praised,

"But not good enough." Sighed Rose, while Ronny had a look of disappointment.

"I know it's hard, but a good start is half the work and you certainly improved." Jen said to them, genuinely meaning. It brought some form of hope for the rookies, that they will equal or better their predecessors. They just need to get better. Suddenly, Ronny got an idea.

"Hey Rose, want to get food in the city with me?" Taylor seemed to approve of the idea, to be a better team mate, you need to know your team mate. Going for coffee will certainly do that.

"Sure." Smiled Rose, "There's a café that branched out from Angel Grove. I believe it's called the Krispy Kréme. Let's go once training is dismissed." They both shook hands on the idea.

_"Somebody save your soul 'cause you've been sinning in this city, I know_

_Too many troubles, all these lovers got you losing control_

_You're like a drug to me, a luxury, my sugar and gold_

_I want your sex and your affection when they're holdin' you close."_

With the boys, their sparring session was a little more tense no thanks to Eric. Though Wes is a lot gentler, he certainly doesn't hold back and is equal in skill to the Quantum Ranger. Despite the odd number and the unfair sides, Wes and Eric still took on Mack, Will and Dax with ease. Will was facing Eric alone, while Mack and Dax squared against Wes; Mack was trying to tell Will to switch it up, but he wouldn't listen, thus showing a smidgen of his lone wolf personality. That did silently irritate Mack, but if it continuously occurs, to the point it will affect team dynamic, he made a mental note to speak to Will. Returning his attention to the sparring session, Mack tried to aid Dax, but sadly, they were both knocked off their feet and Will was thrown beside them. The one thing that was annoying them was that they found a fighting style, but they kept tweaking it and in the middle of those tweaks, Eric and Wes were able to exploit their faults. Eric began to explain to them where they went wrong and the three rookies promised to get better, however, Wes told them he could already see some form of improvement. That was when Dax suggested they spar with each other and help one and the other to improve fighting style and technique. Wes and Eric liked the idea and told them to go ahead, while they break for food and drink.

When the girls came over, Ronny and Rose asked if they wanted to tag along with them into the city, but they kindly declin, but to enjoy their break. Jen and Taylor would have come along, but they felt the two girls needed time to know each other better. Then obviously Kimberly is too absorbed with Dr. Hartford to locate the first Corona Jewel to take a break; which they are needed to keep an eye on her for Tommy's sanity and make sure she actually eats something and not survive on caffeine from coffee alone. They looked at their watches, it was nearly three o'clock in the afternoon, so everyone settled on a two hour break, be back for around five-ish for a shorter, but two hour session before calling it a day. Agreeing, they all decided to part ways for break.

_ 15:15… _

( _Scene: Krispy Kréme Café, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

_"'Cause you don't even know_

_I can make your hands clap_

_Said I can make your hands clap._

_Every night when the stars come out_

_Am I the only living soul around?_

_Need to believe you could hold me down_

_'Cause I'm in need of somethin' good right now_

_We could be screamin' till the sun comes out_

_And when we wake we'd be the only sound_

_Get on my knees and say a prayer to James Brown."_

Rose and Ronny changed out of their Overdrive uniforms into more comfortable and casual clothes. When they strolled through the city, they saw the remains of the damage caused by Moltor after making a volcano force erupt; the City Council had to put in a lot of money to fix what the lava destroyed. However, he thanked the Overdrive Rangers for saving and protecting the civilians, civilian life is more precious than property. It was when they realised how right Dr. Hart is, they may have their main mission, but in the end; the Power Rangers are there for the people. Right now, they finally found the Krispy Kréme, both ordering mini doughnuts to share and two lattes; however, Rose made sure to ask for more doughnuts if Ronny is still hungry. At the time being, they're just enjoying the much needed break after being training since nine thirty in the morning. The two rangers began to talk about their personal lives, before they got Dr. Hart's message.

Rose learned how her fellow yellow had to fight with not just her parents, because they disapproved of her career choice, but also fight her way up the ladder to earn the respect she has now from her peers. Ronny explained her brother was into motocross racing, very fond of his role model Blake Bradley who still resides in Blue Bay Harbour and is actually married to champion surfer: Victoria ' _Tori_ ' Hanson. While she went to support him at his competitions, the Yellow Ranger wasn't into motorbikes, but Formula One racing. She was mesmerised when her uncle had a Formula One race on the TV and she instantly idolised the racer Red Lightening or his proper name: Theodore ' _TJ_ ' Johnson. Seemingly he used to date someone but they broke up, but that was back in two-thousand-and-two.

After explaining her life story, Rose talked about her's, starting from how her parents realised how smart she is; sitting several IQ Tests and learning she was up there with Einstein, Stephen Hawking and Brian Cox. It wasn't long when she began jumping grades, before she could blink, she was in Middle School at five, High School at six, graduated at eight years old. Next, she was given scholarships, entries to the most prestigious universities imaginable with tuition covered for her. She entered college, excelled and because she was just simply too young, she decided to apply for other colleges and institute technologies to expand her knowledge. However, she admitted to Ronny that she never got to enjoy her childhood, her parents pushed her because she was categorised as a Mensa and she still feels like a child at heart.

The two rangers kept on talking, learning about each other, until Ronny brought something up about their mentor. It was clear while Dr. Hart just wants them to be ready, it still baffled her that she was meant to lead them; but handed that leadership to Mack, who was less experienced than their mentor! They both figured something was holding her back and deduced something, whatever something is, must have happened. They both even noted when she gasped in pain yesterday morning, Rose figured Dr. Hart did not hurt herself during the week, but could possibly be an old injury; a phantom pain. Ronny began to wonder if their mentor was in the army or some form of military, it would kind of make sense for some former rangers to go into an enforcement; like the army, Marines, Air Force, police and even the CIA or FBI. Dr. Hart could have been in any of those before retiring to become a Historian. It was tempting to ask, but they felt should respect Dr. Hart's personal life and in case it brings back hard or bad memories. Rose was still pondering about her mentor's secrecy and her life before this, only for her her eyes to catch Ronny stabbing the last doughnut with her fork. Ronny looked up, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief, making Rose reach out as fast as she could. The Yellow Overdrive Ranger moved the doughnut to the left and it wasn't long for the two girls to 'fight' over the last sweet treat.

They were both engaged in hand-to-hand, their movements getting faster and faster; as they blocked and countered each other's strikes. It also amazed them at how sharp their reflexes are, shortly though, they ended up flinging the fork into the air, before catching it and slamming it onto the table. This caused everyone in the café to stare at them weirdly, but all the two rangers could do was laugh to themselves for bringing unwanted attention onto them. With that, Ronny decided to split the final doughnut with Rose. It made the Pink Ranger somewhat glad to have another female on the team. Once they were finished, the two rangers split the bill and walk back to Hartford Mansion, while Rose suggested they should do this again, but bring the boys with them.

_ 16:45… _

( _Scene: Bedroom, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

_"That I can make your hands clap_

_That I can make your hands clap_

_(Turn it up)_

_That I can make your hands clap._

_My flesh is searchin' for your worst and best, don't ever deny_

_I'm like a stranger, gimme me danger, all your wrongs and your rights_

_Secrets on Broadway to the freeway, you're a keeper of crimes_

_Fear no conviction, grapes of wrath can only sweeten your wine."_

I sat on the bed of the room Andrew offered me for the duration of my time here with him and the rangers. The four veterans I called to help train them got back to me, saying they are improving, but I feel it's not enough. This is why I contacted them, Eric, Taylor, Wes and Jen will push them; except a little more gentler. While I did spar against William, it doesn't really count, I was making a point about not getting too comfortable or reliant on the ranger powers. Also, I remember the training session I had with Conor, my PTSD made me think he was Darkonda and I lashed at the Red Dino Ranger, almost on the verge of attempting to kill him. I didn't want to put the Overdrive Rangers through such trauma, to see that their mentor could kill them and I don't want them to worry about me; if they somehow figure out I have PTSD and what my past was like. They already know my adoptive father disappeared and was ridiculed among his peers.

Anyways, while they gave the kids a break, Jen and Taylor demanded I take a break too. Andrew agreed with them, only because two angry females, specifically a Yellow and Pink Ranger; which can be the deadliest combination you can think of, is something he does not want to experience. Though… it's not as deadly when two Pink Rangers are angry, at the same time. Sometimes, it surprises me the world hasn't exploded yet. Also, I did a little more of my own research and there's a museum nearby where my dad once worked! Maybe the manager can give me some insight about him and where he went. If my dad was here, where did he go before or after that; then what happened after he met Andrew? Like I said: so many questions, so little answers; but it's a starting point either way.

It just dawned on me as well, that I should ring Tommy, I forgot to call him yesterday; so he must be getting worried. I reached out for my phone on the bedside table and speed dialled the house phone instead of his mobile. I'll try his mobile if he doesn't answer the house phone. After a few minutes, my call was answered.

 _"Hello?"_ I frowned, that not Tommy and I know that voice. It's my cousin's girlfriend.

"Hey Cassie!" I greeted, "Mind putting my dear husband onto me?",

 _"Sure, that boy almost let Dragon out because you didn't ring yesterday!"_ Cassie almost growled. Shit! That bad, huh? The Astro Ranger just sighed, muttering something in Korean and then called Tommy. The phone was passed over.

 _"About time Beautiful."_ He teased,

"Sorry, was pretty busy. Being a mentor is not easy, I don't know how you handled it." I chuckled,

 _"I'm sure you're a great mentor Kim and you're not alone. You have Andrew to help."_ ,

"Then there's Spencer and I swear to the Power that he acts and speaks like my father." Tommy didn't have to think twice to know which dad I'm on about; he knows I'm referring to Zordon. "Well… I do have Eric, Taylor, Wes and Jen with me. They're helping me train the Overdrive Rangers.",

 _"Their combat skills that bad?"_ I could feel Tommy wince over the phone.

"Without their ranger powers." I corrected, "Not long into service, they're already too reliant on them." I let out a sigh. "Sometimes I ask myself if I should have recruited the veterans, but I didn't want to be selfish.",

 _"We'd understand Kim, it's not selfish."_ Handsome comforted, _"You're going be fine. Just whatever you do, don't go Firebird on them; alright, Beautiful?"_ ,

"I promise no Firebird." I snorted, "I have to go Tommy. I'm not letting Andrew do all the work. I love you Handsome and take care of Rex for me.",

 _"I love you too my pink Crane and don't worry about Rex, though… he's having a bit of separation anxiety."_ The two of us laughed, said goodbye and promised to contact again. I put my phone down and headed out of the room to meet Andrew in the underground base. Hopefully he has that algorithm ready to trace the energy signatures for the Corona Jewels.

_ Next Day… _

_ 10:15… _

_ Saturday… _

_ 26th May 2006… _

_ Unarmed Combat 101: Day 3… _

( _Scene: Back Garden, Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The rookies and veteran rangers stood outside in the large back garden once more, they were adamant this would be the final sparring session. The Overdrive a Rangers were determined to beat their predecessors and show their mentor how much they have learned, also prove they can fight; without relying on their ranger powers. They split up once more, first doing some warm-up exercises to avoid pulled muscles or ligaments. If Kim hears one of the rangers are injured over as something as stupid as that, the veterans will be in for an earful by the Eltarian Lieutenant who inherited both the temper of her mother, Aria and her father, Zordon. The groups went off to different sections of of the garden, but still keeping within distance that they can see each other.

Starting with the girls, their sparring session with Taylor and Jen began. The two former rangers decided to attack first, both letting out a combination of boxing techniques; which Rose and Ronny blocked with ease. Ronny countered Taylor's final strike with a side kick to the stomach, pushing her back; while Rose managed to flip Jen onto her back. Though the Pink Ranger wasn't done, pulling herself up, it was clear to the rookies that their combat trainers are not holding back, same for the guys as they went at a three against two. The boys were handling themselves better than yesterday or the day before, except for the fact Will was adamant on fighting alone, which may become problematic, but Mack is going to let it slide, for now. With the girls, the Yellow and Pink Overdrive Rangers switched things up a bit by swapping sparring opponents, Ronny went for Jen as Rose squared off with Taylor. This tactic took the mentors off guard. The reason why Taylor sparred with Ronny was because she is a Yellow like her, same said for Jen. The sparring session went on, both sides increasing the pressure and neither backing down, the boys were also doing the same.

_"But you don't even know_

_I can make your hands clap_

_Said I can make your hands clap."_

_"Every night when the stars come out_

_Am I the only living soul around?_

_Need to believe you could hold me down_

_'Cause I'm in need of somethin' good right now_

_We could be screamin' till the sun comes out_

_And when we wake we'd be the only sound_

_Get on my knees and say a prayer to James Brown."_

The four combat mentors were certainly impressed, two days ago, this team was a mess; the Originals would even laugh; yesterday, they improved, but it wasn't enough. Now today, they have improved significantly, Kimberly should be impressed and they will be able to hold themselves in an unmorphed fight, against the foot soldiers anyways. In situations like those, the kids will be free to utilise their abilities with their fighting style. Wes, Eric, Jen and Taylor were insistent on sparring without superhuman powers; it is all build up. With Ronny and Rose, the duo finally managed to get Taylor and Jen to submit after putting them in a lock, after double teaming them. After releasing them, Jen and Taylor praised the two rookie rangers, patting their backs. The four of them shook hands and went over to the spar with the boys, which looked as if it was coming to a conclusion quite soon and sooner than they thought.

On the other hand, Kimberly walked out to check on the progress, well… Andrew told her to go get some air and take a small break; so she doesn't burn herself out. Andrew feels that Kim is most likely going to overwork, just like her father and wants to make sure the Original Ranger takes care of herself. The last thing he needs is her husband breathing down his neck, her cousin, surrogate brother - the Original Red Ranger or worse: the Devil's Trio - Trini Kwan-Scott, Aisha Campbell-DeSantos and Katherine Hilliard-Cranston. Even though Andrew and Spencer are aware Kim is adopted, raised on Earth, but born on Eltar; she is so much like Kevin Hart, despite the controversy surrounding him, it's now doubt clear to Kim that her former lecturer was proud to work with him. She still made a mental note to take a trip to the museum that her dad used work in and get more clues.

Kimberly was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Wes and Eric flying towards her. Those two were under the assumption that she'll break their fall, but no way in hell! She had the weight of both Tommy and Aegis on her back during their trip to Firebird's Earth, with that, she nimbly side-stepped and watched as the two reds landed on the ground; getting a face full of dirt and grass. She turned her attention to the boys, as they stood there, proud of their work. The Ninjetti Ranger let out a subtle smile, she was impressed at how much the Overdrive a Rangers improved throughout the three days. Kimberly was glad she called the four rangers from Time and Wild Force, they can get results and fast. She heard Eric and Wes groan, as they pulled themselves up and brushed the dirt off their clothes.

"Excellent work everyone, quite a difference since training began. You should be proud of yourselves." The rangers were amazed at what they achieved in seventh-two hours and if they kept it up, they'll be a great team. No doubt Tommy will have to update the Legacy Video again. Kimberly checked her watch, to see it was getting close to six in the afternoon again and that was when not only her's, but everyone's stomach growled. "Alright, let's order pizza." They all cheered and rushed into the house to clean themselves up, while Jen went inside to order the pizza for us.

_"That I can make your hands clap_

_That I can make your hands clap_

_That I can make your hands clap_

_That I can make your hands clap_

_So can I get a hand clap?"_

_ Two Days Later… _

_ 9:30… _

_ Monday… _

_ 28th May 2006… _

Canon: _The Underwater World_

( _Scene: National History and Archaeology Museum, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I went my separate way after the kids and I went into the city. Andrew wanted them to get a book that he asked to be reserved in a bookshop. Spencer has… gone off somewhere, so when we were making our way in, Ronny asked me what errands I needed to do in the city. I didn't say much, just told her there was something that caught my attention, then Rose wanted to accompany me, but I refused; telling her to stay with the team. The rest were a little suspicious, but didn't question me and that was when we separated. I now stood at the entrance of San Angeles' National History and Archaeology Museum, looks like a fitting place for him to work in. I checked the address to make sure I had the correct museum, confirming I had the right one, I entered. To be fair, I wish I came here on different circumstances, this museum is wonderful! I could spend hours just looking around and the artefacts on display are fascinating! If I was teaching the History class that my aunt has taken over, I would certainly bring them here for a field trip if the school would allow it; might ask Principal Mercer if she'll be alright with it for the new year, if Tommy can bring his students out to digs.

Thinking about it again, what I said about what the kids are doing is incorrect, it's a little surprise teamwork test Andrew, Spencer and I set up; Andrew already has the book. The key to this test is: teamwork, you're not a ranger team if you can't work together and secretly, we kind of want to break William's lone wolf mindset. Focusing myself, I approached the reception desk where the receptionist sat, typing at her computers, that was until I felt someone tap my leg. I looked down, seeing a young child, no more than six. I gave the kid a friendly, warm smile.

"Something wrong, kiddo?" I asked her,

"Can I ask you something?" She said to me timidly. Shit! She must think I work here when I don't! Aw man. In my mind, Rhea was laughing at me, that Animal Spirit of mine, I swear!

"Sure." I replied, "What is it?" The little girl brought me over to the Ancient Civilisations area of the museum, specifically Ancient Greece. She pointed to the glass case that contained a vase, with the typical art style back then. "What do the pictures mean?" Pictures? She means the paintings. I had a look, circling around it with the girl. Once I finished examining it, I answered the young girl. "Well?",

"The vase is depicting The Great War. The war between the Zeus, his siblings and the Titans." I explained,

"I thought Zeus was the God of Thunder?" She said to me,

"You're not wrong there." I chuckled lightly, "However, the war occurred before the siblings called themselves Gods. Once the Titans were banished to the Pits of Tartarus, only then did the three elder brothers: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades gave themselves the title of Gods.",

"So Zeus ruled over thunder, Poseidon - water and Hades…" Not as straight forward as that kid, but close enough; but I love her enthusiasm. It was the exact same enthusiasm I had when I was her age.

"To be more specific, Zeus ruled the Heavans, Poseidon - the Sea and Hades became the ruler of the Underworld.",

"But… if the Gods are related to the Titans, why fight them?",

"You're full of curiosity, are you not?" The girl could see the playful twinkle in my eye, she knows she should not have shame in asking questions. How else would you learn then? History and Archaeology are all about asking questions, even questioning what you thought was right, is actually wrong. Before I could speak, another voice called out behind us.

"Eliza!" I turned to see a tall man dressed in a suit, somewhere in his early forties. His dark hair was neatly combed back. I saw the name badge, well… it didn't have his name, but it said 'Museum Director' on it. Is that the man I'm looking for? Did my dad work under him? "There you are! You really need to stop running off." He then lifted his head and saw me. "Were you asking a tourist about the Greek vase?",

"She sounded like she knew what she was talking about." Eliza answered, looking up at her dad? Uncle? Grandfather, godfather? The museum director continued to look at me, a little longer than I would have liked, until he had a face of realisation.

"You're… you are his daughter!? Aren't you?" I didn't know how to respond and all I could say was:

"I- I am. I'm Kevin's daughter. My name is Kimberly Hart." That was when Eliza's eyes lit up with excitement.

"You're Dr. Hart! My dad read your work!" I turned to Eliza's dad, as he looked at me sheepishly. Looking down at his daughter, the dad told her to return to his office, much to her disappointment. However, she did not disobey her father and left, leaving just the two of us. He then suggested we walk and talk around the museum, which I agreed to. As the two of us walked through the corridors, Eliza's father spoke to me again.

"Forgive me Dr. Hart, where are my manners? My name is Kenneth Carson." He introduced,

"Kenneth, I'm not one for formalities. Kim will do just fine." I smiled,

"If you say so." He laughed lightly. "I see you followed in Kevin's footsteps. Now, I wasn't director when he was around, but I certainly looked up to him; before he began his rambling about the Corona Aurora." So many people must have thought my dad is a mad man, researching and hunting a fairytale, mom thought the same thing too. I was on that side of the spectrum, until I actually got my hands on the crown, it made me realise how much of dad's work was correct, that it is not a fairytale. Our myth and truth is fragile and blurry, being brought into the ranger world blurs that line even further. I decided not to make any comments, just avoid putting myself in a sticky situation and also the fact; I can't risk getting a civilian involved in ranger business, if Moltor or Fluious realise I have a network, they'll target that said network. Kenneth looked back at me, as we entered the area dedicated to World War Two. "He genuinely loved you though. In his office, he always had a picture of you on his desk; I think he said it was you on your first dig with him." I had to laugh lightly as the memory came into my mind. It was the best day I had with him in my life. "He told me, you were so excited, you forgot to pack a spare set of pants. You were wearing a pair of penguin pyjama pants instead." And he laughed too, causing my face to grow red with embarrassment. Of all memories! My dad told Kenneth THAT one.

"Can you blame me? I was five years old and it was my first dig!" Rhea appeared on my shoulder and began chuckling to her heart's content. I had to fight an eye roll, since obviously those who never touched the Power are unable to see the Animal Spirits, Dinozord and Thunder Spirits included. When we say Dinozord Spirits, we're referring to the Original Rangers; Zach, Trini and Jason have Tyrannosaurus, Mastodon and Sabre-toothed Tiger Dinozord Spirits; they also have the Thunderzord Spirits, but they're very quiet. Myself and Billy are the same, we have Dinozord Spirits too, but our Animal Spirits are the most dominant; then, while Billy's Thunderzord Spirit is dormant, mine is locked away because my Firebird Thunderzord Spirit has been corrupted and turned pure evil thanks to Maligore. Like me, it's the same with Tommy.

Turning another corner, Kenneth brought me to his office, opening the door and let me in first. Inside, his daughter was sitting in the chair, reading a book about Greek Mythology. Eliza turned her head and saw me, along with her father, I'm guessing the book came from his bookshelf. She reminds me so much of myself at that age, she just yearns and hungers for knowledge, to learn about the past; would I be surprised if she finds her school's History curriculum boring or just… bland, to put it nicely. My answer will be mostly likely no, because I was like that too. All the times I out poor Ms. Appleby in her place or left like a stuttering and gaping fish. I'm not forgetting the times I did fall asleep in her classes, I was just so glad Jason was right behind me to kick my chair to jar me awake. When Appleby noticed, he just said that he was stretching and miscalculated the length of his leg and ended up kicking my chair by accident. Thanks for the saves big brother.

"Enjoying classical studies?" I asked her,

"Indeed, Dr. Hart." She replied, "But… did it really happen?" Quite a trickery question, mythology is a… finicky subject; while some like studying it, others disregard it as stories or fairytales. For those with a… crazy imagination. Would it be possible for a world to be ruled by Titans? Did the Kraken exist? Medusa? Cerberus?

"That's a hard question, Eliza." I said to her, "But, don't be disheartened. My dad said this to me: 'All myths are stories, but not all stories are myths: among stories, myths hold a special place'. It took me a while to figure out what he meant.",

"Can you tell me?",

"Sorry, I can't Eliza." She began to pout a little. "It's my understanding. You have to find your own meaning to it, even it means pondering and meditating on it for years. It paid off for me." Kenneth walked over to his desk, pulled out a drawer and removed two items from it and handed them to me.

"Your father left his job very suddenly, took some important things with him; like his research. However, he left two items for you." I reached out for them, taking them from his grasp and looked at them. One was sealed envelope addressed to me and the other was a photo of the two of us. It was my seventh birthday, he held me in his arms, so happy and with mom beside us. The three of us were just so happy. My eye caught a necklace around his neck, it was an arrowhead; not the one Tommy and his brother wears, but close enough to it. I found it on my first dig and I was insistent to make a necklace out it, to give to dad, I wanted him to have something to remember myself and mom. He never took it off and promised, if something was to happen to him, the necklace will find its way back to me; and it never did. He only went missing, it must mean he's alive. Dad and I dated the arrowhead to be roughly eight-thousand years old. Sometimes, you'd expect archaeologists to be at dig sites only, but they need historians too for input. Still, looking at the only two real reminders of dad, I had to fight back some tears, hearing Rhea console me. Then, I heard the faint screech of the Falcon; Caesar. Tommy must have sensed that I'm a little sad. Using our connection, I sent a telepathic message to Tommy, telling him I'm alright. He eased up a little bit and we shut our link. "It was… like he knew you would come here. Don't ask me how, he was a man of mystery.",

"Thank you." I said to Kenneth. Placing the items on the desk for moment, I grabbed a pen and a small piece of paper, writing down my name and phone number. I gave it to Kenneth and explained. "When your daughter is in a high school, give me a call. I'll be willing to either tutor or give her an Advanced Placement class." Eliza suddenly squealed with delight.

"You mean it? You'll teach me Dr. Hart!?",

"I mean it kiddo. I do live in Reefside, but we can work something out." I assured her, promising to hold onto my word. "If you really want this, especially when you enter high school, I do want to see good, consistent grades; at least in History alone." Kenneth laughed a small bit.

"Don't you worry Kimberly, I've been teaching my daughter a few extras." I stared at the clock on the wall, seeing it's four-thirty in the evening already. I spent that long in the museum!? Jesus! By then, I'm sure Andrew has picked up a signal for the Black Corona Jewel and the rangers are gone off already to retrieve it. I better run and help Andrew monitoring the rangers, along with the fact, hoping William learned his lesson about working alone.

"I have to go now Kenneth. It was nice meeting you and you as well, Eliza." We shook hands with each other. "Thank you for talking to my about my dad.",

"No problem Kimberly. I hope to see you again!" Waving, I said goodbye and exited the museum, to head back to the mansion.

_ 20:00… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Andrew and I spent some time scanning the cocoon the rangers recovered from Atlantis! Atlantis! It's actually real, guess my dad was right, not all myths are stories. What's next? Kitezh exists too? I never actually realised how crazy the ranger world truly is. I examined the readings I was getting, they're definitely high, almost matching a crown jewel. Neptune's Cocoon, that's what it is called. Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea, his counterpart is Poseidon, the Greek God. The Romans were not exactly inventive with the Gods before they all converted to Christianity. It's strange, what connections did the people of Atlantis have with the jewel belonging to the Corona Aurora? My guess is… once they were spread across our ancient Earth, as times went by, the jewels got intertwined with our history of the Old Earth. Perhaps I could be right, life outside Earth, could also be merged with our own. History is nothing but a complex network, its parts branching, connecting and interconnecting with each other; maybe our history is a not-so simple timeline that is like a straight line. Well, enough of my mental rambling, let's open up this cocoon.

Andrew held the cocoon in place while I opened it. The cocoon split open perfect at the middle, so I removed the top half and pulled out not a jewel, but a scroll. Everyone had a look of disappointment on their faces, that their work was all for nought. It isn't, because this is just the beginning.

"That's no jewel!" Dax exclaimed, "That's a scroll!" I unrolled the scroll, to reveal a part of… what looks to be a… I don't know exactly. Myself and Andrew will research it in the morning.

"It's not, but, it's the first clue we need, to locate the resting place of the Black Corona Jewel." I said, "Each artefact we find, will lead us closer to the jewels of the Corona Aurora." Andrew clapped his hands to get the kids attention.

"Well, we're going to have a busy day. Get a night's sleep. Great work everyone." Nodding, the kids did obviously look tired and all headed for the elevator. However, there's one person I need to talk to.

"Will!" The Black Overdrive Ranger stopped in his tracks, so did the others. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" William turned to his team mates, giving them the nod and saying he'll meet them upstairs. The kids, along with Andrew and Spencer entered the elevator, ascending to the house. Now, I know that we are alone. "Heard you and the rangers had a few team snags." Will's face sudden changed, showing a look of shame or disappointment.

"Snags might be an understatement Dr. Hart.",

"Did you understand the test Andrew, Spencer and I set up?" I asked him,

"I realised too late, but after what happened in Atlantis, I understand now.",

"I know you prefer working alone, but working in a team is the most important… ingredient to be a functional ranger team." I explained to him. "The rangers, three teams before you: Ninja Storm, they also had the hard lesson of learning to work together. They had a phrase: ' _One is stronger than three_ '.",

"In our case it's ' _One is stronger than five_ '." It made us both chuckle a little bit.

"Exactly Will. You all maybe five individuals, but you are all a single unit and you all have to work as a single unit." I looked away for a moment, only briefly. "When I was going through a hard time, I tried to pull away from the team. I wanted to be alone, work everything out, on my own.",

"But your team wouldn't have it." He smirked,

"Nope. They made sure I didn't pull away." I chuckled, "Remember Will, your friends will need you and even if you don't think it, you're going to need them." We both turned to the clock on the wall. "Its getting late, you should head to bed. Also, well done for learning a valuable lesson so quickly." Will smiled at my words and the two of us went into the elevator to meet the others and get ready for bed.

_ 22:00… _

( _Scene: Bedroom, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

After everyone went to bed, I just sat on mine, looking at the envelope Kenneth gave me for the past thirty minutes. A part of me felt scared to open it, what did my dad write? Rhea was perched on the bedside table, staring at me. She could see I was hesitant and knows how close I was to dad. When she bonded with me, she the pain and anguish of the underlying feelings I hid from my friends, of how I truly felt when dad walked out of our house. Tommy knows about my… abandonment issues, I even brought it up to Dana. I took a deep breath, might as well face the music; carefully opening the enveloped, I pulled out the letter and unfolded it. Then my face dropped, inside with the he letter, was the arrowhead necklace my dad wore around his neck. I held it in my hands, reading the letter while fighting back my tears.

_"Kimberly,_

_Words cannot express the emotions you are feeling since my depature. The divorce between myself and Caroline was not easy on you, it's something I wish you didn't have to witness when you were young. I know I caused you so much pain, at this stage, apologies won't be enough to ask you for your forgiveness. You have every right to be angry at me, I chose my research into the Corona Aurora over you; I was obsessed with it. I genuinely had to leave, my work was stepping into dangerous waters, such dangers I could not involve you and Caroline. I did it to protect you, by the time you read this, you must already know about Moltor and Fluious, the brothers of Fire and Ice._

_That's not all, more… otherworldly beings seek the crown and its jewels, one such were onto me since I left. A woman, definitely not of this Earth, she left threats in the form of notes, if I did not help her and her master. After some digging, I finally have a name: Miratrix. I do not know who her master is, but this… master of hers communes to her through some kind of necklace. They left me no choice but to run, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you or my ex-wife. While Caroline and I didn't see eye to eye, in the end, I cared for both of your safety. I care for you._

_With this letter, I have given you my arrowhead necklace, know that I'm with you through it. I wish I could see you once more, I know you are doing great things, maybe things bigger than yourself, even me. Maybe you finally discovered your true heritage. I hope you are being happy._

_Always remember Kimmy Cub: the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are._

_I love you, always and forever._

_Kevin Hart."_

I looked back at the necklace that is in my hand, it should make me believe that my dad is dead, but he said he is running. It must be sliver of a chance that he's alive, but where? He could be anywhere. Who's Miratrix? If the rangers ever do meet her, I'm going to have a nice, long chat with her. With that, Rhea flew over to comfort me, sensing… the pain and hurt I am feeling. I couldn't but silently cry as I held onto the arrowhead, like my life depended on it. I wish you were here dad.

_ Three Days Later… _

_ 17:45… _

_ Thursday… _

_ 31st May 2006… _

Canon: _Post-Heart of Blue_

( _Scene: Rooftop, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Dax sat on the roof of Hartford Mansion, pondering on today's events. Thanks to the combined effort of Dr. Hart and Mack's father, they figured out the scroll they recovered from Atlantis, is actually one of three scrolls. The object painted onto the scroll is the hilt of a sword, known as the Neptune's Sword, so it was their duty to locate the other two scrolls. On the other hand, Dax finally got the big break he was looking for in his acting career, but the problem was: it is near impossible balance ranger duties with his dream job. When he asked Andrew about it, he was downright denied, it made Dax peeved, but he saw Dr. Hart was even worse; not at him, but at Andrew. That resulted in the historian and the archaeologist to have another verbal argument, but thankfully, not fists were thrown. It seemed like Dr. Hart was defending him, that the choice should be left to him and he should figure it out for himself. It made him wonder was Dr. Hart in a similar situation.

On top of all that, Dax finally thought he found the love of his life: Mira. He managed to rescue her after hearing her scream for help. She even asked him out and of course, being the gentleman he is and completely swoon, he couldn't reject. Sadly, not everything was as it seems in the world of Power Rangers, Mira turned out to be another villain like Moltor and Fluious, her name was Miratrix. Boy, she was a decent fighter. The rangers actually haven't mentioned her yet to Andrew and Dr. Hart, they all decided to save that for the next debriefing. Also, he had his heart broken, but with that price, they got the final two scrolls to complete Neptune's Sword. Though, he did have his suspicions about her early on, it just up settled him that Will didn't trust him on getting the scrolls. Along with everything else, they had to call on the Drive Max Zords to form the Drive Max Megazord after she somehow revived a monster they destroyed. Best thing yet, they have new arsenal now, Will has been given the Hovertek Cycle and it packs a punch. Despite everything, they have the sword, it's just a matter of figuring out where the Black Jewel is. Still in deep thought, Dax didn't hear a set of footsteps approaching him from behind. When he turned, Dr. Hart was sitting right next to him.

"Dr. Hart! I- I didn't hear you!" I almost sputtered,

"Well done in getting the last two scrolls." She said to him,

"They didn't think I could pull it off." Dax replied gloomily,

"It's part and parcel of being a team." Kim sighed, "Some will question your ideas and tactics, you just have to make them believe that the plan will work. You know, you are pretty confident for a Blue Ranger.",

"What do you mean?",

"The first Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston, he was pretty shy. He had small confidence issues, but we always relied on him for ideas. Because we relied on him, his confidence grew, he knew we believed in him." Kimberly laughed a small bit. "Slowly but surely, he came out of his shell. Look where he us now, he's married, rich and married to the one he loves.",

"And what do you do, Dr. Hart?" He asked his mentor,

"Me? Nothing exciting. I'm an overqualified high school History Teacher.",

"School teacher?" Dax almost laughed, "You spend your life teaching kids?",

"Education starts in school Mr. Lo." She said teasingly, "All jokes aside, if it weren't for you, we would lost all the scrolls. The rangers are thankful. So, who was this new enemy to pop up?",

"Our new enemy? She said her name is Miratrix." Dax revealed. Then suddenly, he doesn't exactly know if he should have waited for the debriefing or not, because whatever way he looked; Dr. Hart turned away from him, but from the corner of her eye, he saw them flash. It wasn't a trick or a hallucination, Dr. Hart's eyes actually flashed or glowed and they glowed red, a dangerous red. He quietly gulped, knowing his mentor was a ranger in the past, was she… turned evil? Was that a side-effect? Dax decided to play safe and not question her, because by then, the weird glowing eyes effect stopped.

"Let's head back to the others, they might start wondering where we are." Getting up, both she and Dax descended the roof to return the others. After what he just witnessed, Dax knew in that instant, there is a lot questions surrounding their mentor. She never really said a lot about her past, Dr. Hart is a bit of a mystery. One question popped into his head:

_"Who are you really, Dr. Hart?"_

_ One Week Later… _

_ 16:40… _

_ Thursday… _

_ 7th June 2006… _

Canon: _Post-Pirate In Pink_

( _Scene: Sitting Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Everyone stood in the sitting room, with the physical spirit of Blackbeard himself! His real name is Edward Teach, a privateer during the war of the Spanish Succession between seventeen-ten and seventeen-fourteen. I had to ask Rhea several times if I'm hallucinating or not, only to tell me I'm not. Blackbeard is actually standing right in front of us, he's a real pirate and one Rose actually befriended. Unbeknownst to Rose, I know he possessed her, to give her a taste of pirate life and to be fair, she looked like she was having a ball. I actually have that clip saved, she's going to hate me for it, by the time this adventure ends. While Blackbeard was a bit of a stubborn asshole, which is an understatement being a pirate. Of course, it seemed like Rose was having fun, she was being a kid again and Edward… um… Blackbeard was helping her to have fun. Rose even saved him from Miratrix's attack and he had a change of heart. I have to say they had a fun time in St. Lucia

After helping him, Blackbeard handed us his gemstone and Rose attempted to fit it into the hilt, but it didn't, much to our dismay. Although, Blackbeard was feeling generous and opted to trade the gemstone for his ' _lucky_ ' pearl. With that, his stay wasn't long and said goodbye to all of us. Rose gave Blackbeard a parting hug and he vanished. With one attempt left, Rose gently placed the pearl into the Neptune's Sword hilt and to our surprise, it fitted! Then, the ranger's Overdrive Trackers went off, Rose scanned the pearl and on the screen was a reading of one-hundred. It only meant one thing…

"Rangers!" I gasped, "We have the first jewel of the Corona Aurora!" Once I said that, everyone burst into cheers, even Andrew.

"That's one jewel down and four to go!" Mack said excitingly, "We should celebrate with some pizza." We all agreed, but I warned them not to get too comfortable, with Moltor, Fluious and Miratrix, along with the identity of her master being Kamdor on the loose, we are going to be stretched thin. Four enemies is pushing it for us, but I know the rangers can handle it. Rose appeared beside me.

"Going to order pizza for us, Dr. Hart?",

"Don't worry, I am." Then I gave her a playful, teasing look. She saw the glint in my eyes. "Rosie the Bold." I teased and walked off, leaving a sputtering Rose in her place, as the Overdrive Rangers laughed, while trying to figure out how I know of this.

"DR. HART! GET BACK HERE!" Rose yelled. Another thing to add to my blackmail collection.

* * *

Next Time:

"That Defender Vest is going to be mine!" Ronny growled,

"Will has turned on us, Dr. Hart. This is bad!",

"Great!" Mack sighed, stuck in his cell. "I'm piggy-in-the-middle for Fire and Freeze breath.",

"OVERDRIVE ACCELERATE!" The team watched as the new ranger stepped forward with steely determination.


	5. Revelations and New Additions (The Yellow Corona Jewel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers race their enemies to recover the second Corona Jewel, however, Kimberly's past comes creeping in again and causes rifts between her and the team. Despite the arrival or two new rangers, Mack and the others want to know their mentor's history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I don't own the song The Reluctant Heroes - MPI.

_"Lies don't end relationships, the truth does."_

\- Shannon L. Alder

* * *

Chapter 4: Revelations and New Additions (The Yellow Corona Jewel)

* * *

_ Three Weeks Later… _

_ 21:40… _

_ Thursday… _

_ 28th June 2006… _

Canon: _Post-At All Costs_

( _Scene: Rooftop, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I was on the roof of Andrew's mansion, under the starry night sky, clearing my mind by performing a kata Tommy taught me all the way back in our high school days. I do miss those days sometimes, while we were Power Rangers, under the constant threat of being attacked by Rita and Lord Zedd; we… somewhat managed to hold onto our innocence, even though it eventually faded as we grew older. I lost my innocence ever since that first battle I was involved in, opened my eyes that war is no glorious matter; it's only a matter of who lives and dies, suffers the consequences. Despite the fact those soldiers were my enemies, it's not only foot soldiers I killed, but others who reside from other alien planets. Like I told the Overdrive Rangers, there are some things I'm not proud of, to the point I told myself I will never touch the Power again. While the rangers go off on their missions, Andrew, Spencer and even Rhea, tell or attempt to convince me to reveal who I really am to the kids. They deserve a right to know that their mentor isn't from Earth, but a planet called Eltar and that my real name is Kara of Eltar. What else is the icing on the cake? Oh yes! I maybe the first Power Ranger, but the person who devised the whole thing is Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar; who's actually my biological father and ended _Countdown To Destruction_ , and my mother is his wife: Aria of Phaedos. So in truth, my surname isn't Hart and Kevin Hart is not actually my dad!

Does my past really matter? Do they really need to know who I am? It's not like I have any intention to get close to them, I do; I want a mentor-student relationship like I had with the Dino Thunder Rangers. However, I don't want them sidetracked in trying to figure out who their mentor is. Rose is already asking questions; I… might have snapped at her on one or two occasions, Ronny is starting to stick her nose in places where it doesn't belong, Dax and Will are searching my name on the internet and Mack? Mack is questioning his dad and Spencer, but they're answering his questions in a roundabout way. Spencer has a rough idea of my background, but not the full story. If they found out the truth, would they trust me? Could they trust a solider? A Lieutenant, who is trying to keep Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in check? Ever since I admitted I do have PTSD to my friends, I ask myself if I can trust myself. I scare myself sometimes and it's ten times worse with a literal monster inside me. Firebird, a literal incarnation of destruction, according to Slavic Folklore; the Firebird is a Bringer of Blessing and a Harbinger of Doom. My alter ego is a Harbinger of Doom, Reefside was the first city to witness that, a quarter of the city; up in a sea of flames. I… I still feel guilty for that day, I killed innocent people; men, women and children. Firebird was in full control of my body, but to make me even more guilty, I could see everything she has done. I don't want Mack and them to experience that, I don't want the city of San Angeles to fall victim, just like Reefside.

There are days I hear her voice in my head; like what happened at the first day of the combat sessions, she maybe sealed away, but her ominous presence is there and I can feel it. She's my dark side, while Rhea is my good, as long as I'm not under a spell, brainwashed or Firebird herself has been freed; I don't have to fear becoming her. Much to Tommy's and Jason's relucantance, I managed to convince them to put in precautions if I ever go rogue again and I'm too far from saving. Would those kids be too scared to come near me? If they find out that I was turned evil by Dark Spectre's younger brother? I glanced over to the wall running along the roof, seeing Rhea perched on it, as she watched me perform my kata. Speaking of today's events, Andrew and I created another weapon that all the rangers can use: the Drill Blaster. Unfortunately, we might have created it with a little too much kick, to the point it will send you flying back after one blast and that's bad. To counter that issue, I designed the Defender Vest, to help absorb that recoil; that blaster would give a fifty calibre pistol a run for its money. Annoyingly, the vest needed its own power source to charge it up and that sort of pissed me off. With that, Andrew sent the kids to Briarwood, the home of the Mystic Force Rangers; to go to some record store. Seemingly the owner had an artefact, a dragon scale and not just any dragon scale, the scale belonged to Fireheart: the dragon owned by the rangers who resided in Rootcore. They succeeded anyways.

However, not every mission is plain sailing; as if any mission ever is, I'm thinking back to the mission to save my father, Edenoi, Mirinoi and others. I do speak from experience, while I have the same ranger experience as my husband does; he said I have the unique one, because I have off-world military experience on top of that. At the end of the war, the Council was going to promote me to the rank of Commander, just like my mom; but to their shock, I declined the offer to rise in the ranks. If I accepted, I would not be able to leave Eltar, my mom understood my choice; but I caused uproar amongst the Elders. I caused enough uproar, along with my cousin Aegis, in marrying Tommy and Cassie. The two of us sealing our love to two people from Earth, was giving a middle finger to Eltarian tradition. Eltar prided in keeping their race pure blooded, but Aegis and I broke that tradition; if we ever have kids, they'll be half human, half Eltarian. Actually, my father was in a similar position, my mother was from Phaedos, like my aunt and he had to fight for the right to marry her. So really, if Tommy and I have kids, they'll have a bit of Eltarian and Phaedosian blood; depends which of the genes decide to be most dominant. That was when Rhea spoke to me.

 _"You should tell them Kara."_ She cooed, _"Don't hide the truth any longer."_ ,

"My past is not a concern for this mission, Rhea.",

 _"It is a concern if the rangers are asking questions."_ Rhea warned, _"It's the same with the Dino Rangers. How can they trust a mentor if you're keeping secrets from them?"_ ,

"It's to protect them." I muttered,

 _"Or you're protecting yourself from them."_ My Animal Spirit pondered, _"Just stop it! Now! Don't put up the same shield you used on Tommy and Caesar. Secrets don't stay secret forever."_ ,

"That's enough!" I growled, glaring at my Crane Spirit, my eyes flashing red. "You shall speak no more of this." Rhea just sighed and left me, leaving me alone on the rooftop. Is she right? Am I putting up that same shield? Why am I finding it so hard to trust? It is only a matter of time before the kids confront me directly and demand to know about my past. I guess I still find it a little hard to trust, Boreas' betrayal was a punch to my gut; I treated him like an uncle, he taught me sword fighting and how am I repaid? He tells The Alliance of the infiltration mission to rescue Zordon, forcing me to hold back Astronema's soldiers until I surrendered and that was when I went through those five? Six days of hell. I was interrogated, tortured, Darkonda tortured me for the fun of it. I was tortured for that long, because of mother's advisor. My back has so many scars, war scars. There is the one that still gives me phantom pain, my left shoulder was almost torn apart by the shrapnel belonging to the bomb; then I obviously have some smaller scars. My back can tell a war story of its own. Suddenly, I heard footsteps from behind. I turned to see Ronny poking her head up, smiling softly.

"Oh! Hey Dr. Hart." She greeted. I mentally sighed, even though I told the kids, I'm not one for formalities, they still address me formally. "You left pretty quickly after food." Ronny took her place beside me, as I looked out over the vast acres of land Hartford owns.

"I needed some air." I replied, "Helps after being inside, monitoring you guys all day." My statement caused Ronny to chuckle a little. "Well done in retrieving the dragon scale. You and the others can use the Drill Blaster without recoil.",

"It would've been easier, if I wasn't so competitive." Sighed Ronny,

"None of us are angry Ronny. You live for the competitive world, it was natural, you live life in the fast lane." I comforted, "But sometimes, you have to slow down. Life is not a competition, you need to enjoy it." I looked up at the night sky, seeing the stars shine brightly. "Life is short, we don't live forever.",

"My behaviour was unacceptable though. My competitive side almost put everyone in danger.",

"At least you learned that lesson now. It makes you a better person." I smiled at her, "Remember: no matter how much you grow up, you never stop growing.",

"You were obviously a mentor before, Yoda." I laughed at Ronny for her description, nice obvious _Star Wars_ reference.

"Knowledge comes from experience. I was a… co-mentor two ranger teams before you guys. The Dino Thunder Rangers but, I was forced back into action." I explained to her. It's true, Aegis and I were forced back to action, we hoped for a quiet life in Reefside, especially after our involvement in the galaxy scale war. Aegis was stationed on Triforia with Prince Trey - the Gold Zeo Ranger. I deployed the Blue Senturion to Edenoi to aid Dex - a close friend of my father and Alpha. While fighting everywhere on the planets were hard, Eltar was hit the hardest. Eltar took a good while to recover, burying the fallen, arresting any surviving opposing forces, ensuring food and water supplies did not run out; on top of rebuilding infrastructure, along with aiding the wounded. When Master Vile, Rito and Scorpina were reverted to their human forms, we arrested them and Eltar has set a trial date for them.

"What do you mean ' _forced_ '?" Asked Overdrive Yellow,

"I mean… I was hoping to have a quiet life there, but when you're a ranger, life is far from quiet." I chuckled, also to avoid the real reason and not mentioning my Elatarian cousin Aegis.

"So, Dax told us you're an overqualified History Teacher." I groaned out loud, making Ronny laugh. "Seriously Hart! You went all Lara Croft to recover the crown and you tell us you're a… school teacher?",

"Shut up! Maybe I am a mix of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones." And we both laughed. I swear to God and the Power, these kids just love making fun of my position as a school teacher. Power Rangers, active and veteran, need to have a normal job; we're human after all. By the time this ends, I will be in for a hail of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft jokes, most of which by Zach AND Rocky, since they're both the jokesters of the team - the Generation One and Two Original Rangers. I will want to crawl under a rock when that time comes. I had a look at my watch, seeing it was getting late. Ronny and the other rangers need to get a good nights sleep, we still have work to do; we need to find other artefacts that will help us locate the Yellow Corona Jewel. "You better head to bed Ronny, we will all have a busy day to find the second jewel.",

"Alright. Don't be up too late yourself Dr. Hart. Goodnight." Ronny turned on her heels to leave the roof, only to stop at the door that led back down to the room. "Dr. Hart!" I turned to her. "One last thing. We may not say it, but I'm saying it on behalf of the team: you're an amazing mentor." She gave the finger gun to me, giving me a comforting smile and left me alone. I stared at the sky and began to think about Eltar, make a note to myself to contact my mother. She hasn't seen me since the Eltarian wedding ceremony, which was last year. My mom was generous enough to allow my friends to stay in our home, we had more than enough room, sure, Eltar has an inn; Aegis almost suggested using some of the empty room in the barracks, but nope. My mother insisted our friends stay with her, she did want to get know my friends, particularly Jason, since I constantly referred to him as a brother. The two of us had to explain that, along with why I called Trini a sister, she could already tell I had a bond with Rocky, Aisha and Adam, due to the fact she was in tune with the powers of the Ninjetti. Zach and Billy were with us too, the others of Zordon's Twelve respected the fact that… we wanted this meeting to Eltar to be close family only, which is from the Original to the Ninjetti. So, for the trip, it was Jason, Trini, Billy, Kat, Zach, Adam, Tommy, Rocky and Aisha. I almost forgot Cassie and Aegis. We promised pictures though.

They all got to meet some of my friends from the Eltarian Army, well… those that survived. Alura was so happy to see me again but… she began to flirt with Jason, well knowing Tommy is mine. Trini wasn't exactly impressed and I had to tell her all my male friends are taken, settled and married; though she was only teasing. They all still find it weird when I converse in a different language, thank god though, Alura knows English. Not all Eltarians can speak one of Earth's dominant languages. When we went to the barracks, the soldiers were happy to see me, locking me in tight brotherly hugs and patting my back, gently obviously; not wanting to agitate my scars. My torture and mistreatment by The Alliance did not go unheard of and they all admired my… steeliness and perseverance. By the end of the war, when I didn't stop, they all begged me to rest and they well knew it was breaking military protocol; I could see it though, they were just looking out for me. I was just being too stubborn. Oh my god, it was so funny when I brought them to the inn with the soldiers. Thankfully, Eltar did have normal water, so they all stuck to that, because they didn't know what other drinks Eltar offered. Much to their shock and surprise, they saw me ordering a ' _strange liquid_ ' that almost looked like mead or alcohol. Their faces when Alura told them it was an alcoholic drink, Jason and Tommy almost fainted. Zach, being the idiot he usually is, wanted to try, but I told him it wasn't a good idea since I don't know how alien alcohol reacts with normal human metabolism. Anyways, you have to learn how to fit in with soldiers, even though I was the most responsible drinker on Eltar. Of course, Alura decides to ruin my reputation amongst my friends when she dropped the story of how I started a brawl, which caused Aegis to go into a laughing fit. In my defence and… dignity, that brawl was not initiated by me, but forced. Aegis is just trying make my friends see that I can be bad, when I'm not under their supervision. Second, of course my mom caught wind and I was punished, being that she is Commander, a rank or two above me. The Eltarian who threw first punch and myself were punished appropriately, he was given kitchen duty for the week and me? I was stuck with weapons cleaning. OK, this was before _Countdown_ and the fighting began to pick up at its peak… before I lost Bohan, so… this is what happened.

**_ Night… _ **

**_ Year: Autumn, 1997… _ **

**Canon: _Power Rangers Turbo_**

( **Flashback** / ** _Scene: Inn, Eltar_** / _Kimberly's POV_ )

**I sat between my newfound friends: Alura and Bohan. Bohan is a sniper, whom I took under my wing to personally train in close quarter combat and Alura is a part of the rifle battalion. Alura is kind of like… a mixture of Trini, Aisha and there's a little bit Kat in her. They're two closest friends I made since I left Earth and of course, they are both well aware that I'm a wielder of the Great Power. Once Bohan became more confident in himself, I could see Jason in him; and it was bad enough my cousin Aegis is like him too. The thought of having two Eltarians that act like my brother Jason is now, a little frustrating. I don't even want to go there. Right now, I'm with my two friends and some of the soldiers from the barracks having a few drinks at the inn. I promised my mother faithfully that I would not come home drunk, I intended not to drink, but the lads encouraged me. So, I firmly told them only one drink and that I'm buying it myself, as I wouldn't trust them, even with my Power Coin; to let them get one for me. I told them, and meant it, I was having one drink and one drink only. Alura and Bohan call me sensible, the others think I'm a killjoy. I did warn them that if they keep up that behaviour, that as their Lieutenant, I will rain hell on them at drills tomorrow and that shut them all up. They know my drills can be torturous, even saying that my mom: Commander Aria isn't usually this hard. I pride myself with that image.**

**The thought of my friends made me drift back to them. I miss them all, they think I'm in France with my mom and stepfather. How hurt they will be when they find out the truth, I hurt Tommy in the most unforgivable manner. I might not be able to face him again, I burdened Kat with secrecy; I no doubt hurt all the Ninjetti. Caesar will not forgive me, let alone be within his gaze, Artemis, Loki, Kek and Daedalus will be greatly disappointed and hate me. Perhaps by the end of this, there might be no reason for me to return home if my old friends will be less than welcoming. Jason will be shocked and disappointed with my behaviour, Trini and Zach will no doubt be the same, that I treated Tommy like yesterday's trash. As much as I hate hiding behind a wall of secrets and lies, it's the only way to keep them all safe. I know my friends, if they found out, they will demand my father to teleport them to Eltar and will want to help. I can't, I could not bear thought of them putting their lives in danger over an upcoming war. They may not forgive me in the end, but I care for their lives and I would never forgive myself if anything happens to them; God forbid if they lose their lives. I… I don't want Tommy's life on my conscience, I would not able to bear such a burden. This is my fight and my fight alone. If I have to, I will silently cut my connection to the Ninjetti, hopefully they won't suspect a thing; wondering why they can't sense the Crane. I found myself drawn out of my thoughts when I see a hand wave in front of my face. I blink for a second, to see Alura looking at me with concern.**

**"Damn Kara! You were drifting away from us." She said to me, "Everything alright in that head of yours?",**

**"I'm fine Alura. Thanks for being concerned for my wellbeing." I smiled,**

**"Is this about your Earth friends?" Alura asked. I took a quick swig of my drink before answering her.**

**"They've been my friends since I was a kid. Now, I'm outright lying to them; they'll never forgive me." Next, I felt Bohan's hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.**

**"It'll be fine Lieutenant, they will understand. It was brave of you to come here during these harsh times." He paused to take his drink. "You put your life before theirs. You knew the risks of returning to your home.",**

**"Believe us Kara, this Tommy Oliver will forgive you. The Falcon and the Crane are meant to soar as one." Reassured Alura and making me laugh a small bit.**

**"What did I do to deserve you guys?" I finished my drink, considering should I get seconds. I told myself firmly that I was only having one, but… I guess another is not going to kill my liver. "Save my seat, I'm going to get another round." When I said that, Bohan asked me to get his drink too, as well as Alura. I asked the other soldiers, but they said that they're all good. That means it's the mead I last drank, Bohan wants Falcon Spirits and Alura wants a Bear Crusher. Geez, whoever the local brewery is here, I have a feeling he is getting these names from the Ninjetti. I have to admire Eltar's creativity. Leaving my seat, I headed for the counter, only to bump into another Eltarian. Quickly apologising, I looked up, to see this guy was flat out drunk; I could smell the drink off him, even Rhea wasn't impressed. Of course, I do know this guy, he's in the Air Force of the Eltarian Military. Great, this prick is the last thing I need to deal with.**

**"Kara!" He slurred, "What… brings you… here?",**

**"With friends." I answered simply and tried to move out of his way quickly, only for him to block my path.**

**"Now, what's the rush daughter of Zordon? That useless bastard in a tube." I glared at the soldier. Did he just insult my father!? "I'm… surprised his… wife still likes… him." He and his gang let out a cruel, heartless laugh. Then his buddy joined in.**

**"And then you," He pokes his finger hard into my shoulder, "Are suddenly leading us; an Eltarian blood, raised on shitty little planet Earth." The gang laughed again. I tried to restrain myself, I would have been raised on this planet if Eltar wasn't attacked long ago; then my mother and father would not have sent me to Earth for my protection. These guys don't know what I've been through! I decided to not let their words get to me and I attempted to pass, but I was stopped.**

**"Why are you running off Lieutenant? How about we," He looked down on me slyly, "Have some fun." Instantly clicking at what he's suggesting, I shook my head once more and tried to pass; only to have my arm caught and firmly. I glared at the soldier who caught me, it was the seriously drunk one, his buddies aren't so bad.**

**"You are to let me go." I gritted, "Right this instant!",**

**"Come on Lieutenant, let's… just relax and have a good time." Having enough, I twisted the soldier's arm, forcing him to let go of me and pushed him away. It was a defensive technique, not meant to hurt, just disarm or to force someone to lose their grip. The drunk soldier growled at me, not liking my retaliation and charged forward at me, I quickly side-stepped, tripping him to the floor. I was trying to keep my tactics non lethal as much as possible. I really can't afford to put some soldiers in the Healing Chamber over something as stupid as this. I noticed Bohan and Alura getting up, hearing the ruckus. Rhea yelled out to tell me another of the drunk guy's friends were charging me from behind. I felt the air change slightly, he's throwing a punch; which I managed to grab, clutching his shoulder and performed a judo flip that Tommy would be proud of. He landed hard on his back, grunting at the impact. Fuck! I just started by first brawl. Soon enough, it was chaos at the inn and the funniest part was Bohan and Alura, with the nicer soldiers I was talking to, were just laughing as I wrecked my attackers. Oh man! If mother hears about this, I'm so dead and might face serious punishment and maybe demotion.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Yeah, not my proudest moment in the army, although the male soldiers very much enjoyed the brawl; although I was banned from the inn for a month, so I either ate my mom's cooking or had whatever that was at dining hall in the barracks. To be fair, that asshole was a prick, he was mocking me, my family; he openly insulted me! While giving me some… suggestive indications. The soldiers I was hanging out with were clearly not impressed, the guy was completely out of it, utterly wasted. Of course, I pissed him off because I wouldn't give what he wanted, the punishment was worth it. Not to mention, he didn't realise that I was his Lieutenant! Once our punishments were lifted and training came around, I totally wrecked him and couldn't understand why. I was so glad that I was sober that night. My brothers and sisters told me I was right to fight back and they saw it was out of defence, the drunkard attacked first. Enough of that now, thinking about it now, it's a month after the anniversary of _Countdown To Destruction_. Usually, there's a ceremony for it, particularly in Angel Grove, neither myself or the team can bring ourselves to come to those ceremonies; instead, we travel out to the ruins of our Command Centre, just Zordon's Twelve. The teams after Zordon's sacrifice like to call us _The Twelve Apostles_ , as a small little joke. _The Twelve Apostles_ being myself, Jason, Trini, Billy, Zach, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Aisha, Kat, Tanya and Justin. We would camp there for three nights, paying our respects, thank my father for everything, for changing our lives; for helping me find out my true heritage.

Everyone knew _Countdown_ was the hardest for me, since I was on the frontline fighting, defending my home. I saw a lot of shit, it was bad, it messed me up, but I buried it. I buried everything and that's how my PTSD came to be, all my friends know I'm infamous for burying my emotions, because I put others before myself. Dana says that it's not healthy for me and I have to open up to people. I did find it hard though, telling people I love the truth was so difficult; I put up a shield to not only protect myself, but to protect others from my burdens. By the time the war ended, I lost so many, brothers and sisters I got close to; Bohan hitting me the hardest. However, in the eyes of the surviving soldiers and the people of Eltar, I was hailed as a hero, but in my eyes; I saw myself as a reluctant hero. All of us soldiers, were reluctant heroes. That is also the title of the song I wrote last year, I even sung it at the anniversary in the late Spring of two-thousand-and-five. The song conveyed the pain of the soldiers who lost their lives, the loss of lives I had to witness and I channelled that pain into the song. The best thing was: all my friends and Tommy got the message. Seeing my guitar at the side, I grabbed it on my way to the rooftop, I took it out of its case; checked if the chords are in tune. Once I was satisfied, I began to strum the opening tune, the sound of the chords filling the air and for some reason; the air grew slightly colder, but slowed too, feeling… sombre, as if it felt my pain of the past.

_"Day by day_

_We have lost our edge_

_Don't you know?_

_Forgotten is the life we led_

_Now it seems_

_You don't care what the risk is_

_The peaceful times have made us blind_

_Can't look back_

_They will not come back_

_Can't be afraid_

_It's time after time_

_Once again_

_I'm hiding in my room_

_The peaceful times have made us blind_

_So you can't fly if you never try_

_You told me, oh, long ago_

_But you left the wall_

_Outside the gate_

_So more than ever, it's real_

_It was like a nightmare_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember the day of grief_

_Now it's strange for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice_

_Remember the day we met_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember a day we dreamt_

_It's painful for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice_

_Song for the reluctant heroes_

_Oh give me your strength_

_Our life is so short_

_Song for the reluctant heroes_

_I wanna be brave like you_

_From my heart_

_Song for the reluctant heroes_

_Oh give me your strength_

_Our life is so short_

_Song for the reluctant heroes_

_I wanna be brave like you_

_Can't look back_

_They will not come back_

_Can't be afraid_

_It's time after time_

_Once again_

_I'm hiding in my room_

_The peaceful times have made us blind_

_So you can't fly if you never try_

_You told me, oh, long ago_

_But you left the wall_

_Outside the gate_

_So more than ever, it's real_

_It was like a nightmare_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember the day of grief_

_Now it's strange for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice_

_Remember the day we met_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember a day we dreamt_

_It's painful for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice_

_It was like a nightmare_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember the day of grief_

_Now it's strange for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice_

_Remember the day we met_

_And it's painful for me_

_Because nobody wants to die too fast_

_Remember a day we dreamt_

_And it's painful for me_

_I could see your face_

_I could hear your voice."_

_ Meanwhile… _

_ 22:10… _

( _Scene: Ronny and Rose's Guest Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

"Do you guys hear singing?" Will asked his new friends, making everyone snap their heads up. For some random reason, the boys all decided to bunk out in the girl's bedroom. All five of them grew into their roles as Power Rangers, the new protectors of Earth; while at the same time, seeking the jewels of the Corona Aurora. As the weeks went by, they warmed up to their mentor Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver, but they were all having one small, depending on the definition, problem with her. The chosen rangers knew she was hiding secrets of her own, and secrets she won't easily tell or reveal. How can they all trust their mentor, if she's not open with them? All they know is that she was the first Pink Ranger, Ronny revealed to them she was forced back into action during the service of the Dino Thunder Rangers, which was three years ago. She told them Dr. Hart was seeking a quiet life in Reefside. So, that obviously led to the thought that their mentor was running from something, but running from what? Then Dax answered William's question.

"You're going to have to tell us Will. You are the one with the Super Hearing." His statement made everyone chuckle a little, as Will playfully rolled his eyes.

"It's coming from the roof, it must have been Dr. Hart." He said, "I only just got the last couple of lines, something like: ' _Remember a day we dreamt, and it's painful for me. I could see your face, I could hear your voice_ '." His words made everyone frown, trying to figure out the meaning behind the lines. Judging by the four lines, Dr. Hart must have witnessed something painful in her life and she must be running from that.

"Guys, do you think something horrible happened in our mentor's life?" Voiced Ronny,

"I tried asking my dad and Spencer." Said Mack, "But they were very evasive.",

"Dr. Hart was dodging certain questions and spinning her answers." Rose added, "She was getting crafty around me. When I asked another question, that seemed sensitive in her mind, I swear Dr. Hart was about to bite my head off. Actually, she did snap at me." Rose shivered when her mentor did belittle her, telling her not to uncover secrets, that would rather remain buried. On the other hand, Ronny had her mobile in hand, scrolling randomly through different news headlines, she kept going further and further down the years until she reached two-thousand-and-three and four. Two headlines that popped out to her were: ' _Dino Rangers Have New Allies!_ ' and ' _Crimson Ninja Ranger Causes Massive Destruction!_ ' Ronny leaned on her elbow, reading the article with interest. She has heard about the terrible attack on Reefside, the Yellow Ranger was competing in a prix in Stone Canyon; roughly a week after the attack, it was pretty bad. She didn't think one lone ranger could cause so much damage and let alone, have that much power. One, single ranger set a quarter of Reefside on fire, property damage that racked up to the equivalent of what was done by _Countdown To Destruction_ ; and killed an uncertain number of innocent civilians, it's also been said that some of the lives of students attending Reefside High School have been lost. Many reports say those who have died may have been burnt alive, leaving behind nothing but ashes. It was near impossible to find the bodies. Will noticed Ronny was reading something and decided to ask.

"What are you reading Ron?" Ronny lifted her head upon hearing his question. Knowing her phone was too small, she asked Rose to take out her laptop. Without questioning, Rose handed her laptop to Ronny, threatening to break her, if she breaks the laptop; as she built it herself, so her Super Speed won't save her. Turning on the machine, Ronny opened up the two articles she was looking at on her phone and it turned to everyone. Rose didn't hear about the vicious attack on Reefside because she was in London at the time, studying Universal History and Mythology in University of London for that year. She was buried deep end in studies and never bothered with the world news. Dax and Will were the same as Rose, they never heard about it; both were outside the country. It seemed like only Ronny and Mack were the only two aware. Looking at the first article, was a picture of who must be their mentor wearing pink, in her fighting stance next to another ranger dressed in black; with a red jewel or ruby on his chest. They didn't know who this ranger is, but that didn't matter.

"That's a cool suit!" Dax said, liking the simplicity of Dr. Hart's ranger suit; it was pink obviously, three white diamonds running across her chest and at her waist, holstered was a bright red sidearm. A blaster of sorts, similar to their Overdrive Defenders and judging by the shape of her helmet, it was based off a dinosaur and Rose identified it as a Pterodactyl. It's been said in that paper that the Original Pink Ranger hasn't been seen since early ninety-six and this Phantom Ranger, has not been sighted since ninety-eight, which was during the service of the Turbo Rangers.

"So… what has this got to do with the ranger there?" Rose asked, pointing to the slightly fuzzy image of the Crimson Ranger; wearing an intimidating chest armour, wielding a sword. The helmet looked like the helmet of the Pterodactyl, but it was sharper; something dangerous about it. Wherever the ranger came from, it did not arrive on friendly terms and was no ally to past ranger teams. "Firebird? That's what the reporters call the ranger?" If she was honest with herself, Rose thought the name of the ranger was fitting, thinking back to her lessons in Slavic Folklore, this ranger was no Bringer of Blessing, but a living incarnate of the Harbinger of Doom.

"Guys, do you think this ranger and Dr. Hart are the same people?" Mack questioned, which made everyone freeze. The thought that their mentor went through a lapse of being an evil ranger. Then… they began to ask themselves if their mentor is actually evil, working undercover or is independent and being a lot smarter than Moltor, Fluious and Miratrix? Having their own mentor as an enemy is the last thing they need and especially when, she's a former ranger. They'd be all screwed, seeing how easily she beat Will without using her powers. The Dino Thunder Rangers was her fourth year of service, so four years of ranger experience under her belt, will make her a very difficult and dangerous enemy.

"How could you think Dr. Hart is evil, Mack!?" Rose almost yelled, until Dax leaped over to cover her mouth, as footsteps walked passed their door; seeing a silhouette under the doorframe. The rangers held their breaths, until the footsteps belonging to Dr. Hart got further and further away. Dax removed his hand and they all sighed in relief.

 _"You are not wrong rangers. My champion was evil at different points in time."_ Said a voice, not belonging to any of them. They turned, beside Rose was a ghostly pink Crane and they all jumped, screaming their heads off at the sight. Rose unintentionally turned invisible, Dax leaped, whacking his head off the ceiling, Mack dented the wall, while Ronny super speeded her back into him and Will on the other hand, was going into a sensory overload; they thought that they have seen enough ghosts since the Sentinel Knight. Suddenly their door opened, seeing Dr. Hart, with Spencer and Andrew, they had worried looks in their faces, while surprised to see the boys in the girl's bedroom.

"What's going on?" She asked them all,

"Spider!" Dax exclaimed, before the others could up with an excuse. "Big, hairy spider!" Spencer walked off in an instant, Andrew paled and wished them good luck and Dr. Hart, she gave them all a sweet smile and left quickly. The three left them all to their imaginary arachnid intruder. It sort of gave them the thought: were Andrew, Dr. Hart and Spencer slightly arachnophobic? Once the trio were gone, the Crane Spirit reappeared, now that the five rangers have calmed down. They all stared at the spirit, unsure how to make of it; none of them ever witnessed such a thing before. To Rose, the existence of spirits, or those that take the form of animals defies all logic. Mack, being the leader, was the first to address the Crane Spirit.

"Who are you?",

 _"My name is Rhea. I am Kimberly's Crane Spirit."_ Rhea answered, using her champion's Earth name. The only reason she appeared before them was to explain a little bit of her master's history, but leaving out the information that she is born on a different planet. That part has to come from Kimberly herself. The Overdrive Rangers have the spirit confused looks. Rhea decided to clarify. _"If you noticed, on your first day of being rangers, when she called out to her powers; Kim was calling out to me. The power of the Ninjetti and the Animal Spirits are intertwined."_ ,

"In other words… you are an… animal representation of Dr. Hart?" Questioned Ronny,

 _"I am indeed."_ ,

"Well then, um… Rhea," The Crane Spirit turned to the Black Overdrive Ranger, "What has all that got to do with Dr. Hart and this," He showed Rhea the photo of the Crimson Ranger on Rose's laptop, "Ranger named Firebird?" The five rangers noticed Rhea tensed, looking at the photo; almost with fear and anxiety. That was an instant clue that the Crane Spirit had an encounter with this ranger.

 _"Heed my words, Firebird is someone you do not want to meet."_ Rhea answered in a low voice, _"She is my champion's corrupted Thunderzord Spirit, infused with the Flame of Destruction that Maligore bestowed on her. Firebird is Kimberly's alter ego."_ The Crane Spirit knows the destruction that her champion's evil side has done, it didn't help when they were sent to a dystopian Earth where her mate and the other Ninjetti could not save her. It allowed Firebird to recover, gain command of the Eltarian Army and invaded Earth. It caused Kim to put in… counter measures if she was ever to go rogue, though the same measures can be used for Tommy too with his alter ego Dragon. However, unlike Kim and Firebird, there's an understanding or compromise between Tommy and Dragon. Firebird wants nothing with Kim and it always end in a mental battle for control. _"Kimberly's alter ego is much more powerful and dangerous, tapping into powers and abilities, my champion didn't think she had."_ ,

"Then… that was Dr. Hart, destroying Reefside in zero-four?" Dax said, almost nervously; not liking the idea their mentor could turn on them. Then, his mind drifted back to when he and his mentor were talking on the roof; after he mentioned Miratrix's name, Dr. Hart's eyes flashed red. Was that her Firebird side?

 _"Not exactly, the Crimson Powers belong to Firebird only and are part of the Flame of Destruction. Trust me Overdrive Rangers, you do not want to face Firebird. She is a greater enemy than who you are facing and will not hesitate to end your lives."_ ,

"Alright, so we have a mentor who has a psychopathic alter ego, like some real life Jekyll and Hyde." Ronny confirmed, "She's also overpowered as fuck. Anything else Rhea?",

 _"Before Maligore, she was turned evil by Lord Zedd; however the two evils are completely different from each other."_ Rhea said to Ronny, _"She has been through other hardships, but that is not my place to tell. All of you must ask Kimberly herself. I must go, before she suspects I am gone. Good luck rangers."_ And Rhea disappeared, leaving the rangers to ponder on the new information given to them. Only too late, they realised the Crane Spirit left more questions than answers. Questions like: who is Maligore? What is the Flame of Destruction? If Firebird is so dangerous, why wasn't she destroyed? What hardships has their mentor been through? On top of all that, the one broad question that sits on all their minds is: who is Dr. Hart?

_ Three Days Later… _

_ Sunday… _

_ 15:45… _

_ 1st July 2006… _

Canon: _Both Sides Now_

( _Scene: Forest, Far Outside The City, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Will stood beside Miratrix quietly, observing her. Dr. Hart and Andrew have sent him to go undercover, on the other side of the battlefield to recover the Hou-Ou, a statue of a Japanese bird representing a Pheonix. It is said, according to Dr. Hart, contains the next clue to locate the second Corona Jewel: the Toru Diamond. So, while he was undercover, Andrew diverted the other four rangers to Istanbul in Turkey; once known as Constantinopolis or Constantinople, named by Emperor Constantine. Long before the Romans, it belonged to the Greeks, who named the city Byzantium. Thanks to Andrew, which William found amusing, managed to stop Dr. Hart from going into one of lectures about the Ancient Greeks and Roman Empire. He was saved from one of those said lectures, Will thought Dr. Hart would be great lecturing in universities and colleges; why is she wasting her talents on high school students? On the other hand, he knows Miratrix is trying to figure out how to free her master: Kamdor, from the crystal that she wears on her neck.

So far, they only had one encounter with his friends, they think he betrayed them by selling ranger technology to the Black Market. Andrew tried to make him give up his tracker, but refused, so he and Dr. Hart ended up fighting; and he managed to beat her. Well, that's all lies, he had a quick training session with Dr. Hart and still can't get a tap on her, let alone just tip her with his finger. In other words, as of now, the other Overdrive Rangers think he's turned evil, he hates fighting his friends, but William can't afford to have his cover blown; you can only stay undercover for so long, before someone starts to get suspicious of you. Will turned to Miratrix, seeing her trying to open the statue, but to no avail and she growled in frustration.

"This is getting nowhere." She huffed, "It would have been easier if Dr. Hart had not slipped through my fingers." That was when Will perked his head up. Doctor Hart? Does she mean… his Dr. Hart's father? The same man who was ridiculed over his research into the crown and disappeared? He needs to see if he can learn more, Dr. Hart would be very interested to know about this information. He walks over to Miratrix, leaning against a tree.

"Who is this… Dr. Hart, you mentioned?" Miratrix stopped with what she was doing and looked at the Black Overdrive Ranger.

"Blasted historian. I was following him, before I went into hiding. He was on the right track when locating the crown." She grumbled. She underestimated that man, he maybe History smart, but when his life is in danger, he gets smarter. "I threatened the life of his pathetic wife and daughter and he still got away. Now, he's a ghost; most likely dead at this stage." Will tried to refrain his anger and blowing his cover. She's the reason his mentor's father is missing and she threatened to kill his family! That's low, even for villains. Will wonders how much his mentor really went through, she lost her father because of her and on top of being turned evil, with a psychotic alter ego. It wouldn't surprise him if Dr. Hart still feels guilty over the attack on Reefside. "Kevin Hart had research that would have been helpful.",

"Well, like you said: he's probably dead at this stage." The Black Ranger punched himself mentally, how sour those words felt coming out of his mouth.

"You're right. From what I have witnessed and the accounts from Moltor and Fluious, your mentor would be a fine substitute. We just have to figure out how to force her onto the battlefield." Miratrix pondered. Will's heart rate began to increase when she mentioned Dr. Hart, she's obviously implying capturing their mentor and that wouldn't be good. For now, she doesn't have any background on Dr. Hart, therefore, Miratrix does not know her past as a veteran ranger. "Even better, they said she's a ranger too." And he jinxed it. "Who would have thought your former friends have an experienced ranger to mentor you." Will was swearing to himself, now knowing Dr. Hart has a target painted on her back and that is bad. It appears their enemies are talking to each other, but they always go their own way since alliances are always shaky. Suddenly, the Hou-Oh statue began to glow, along with the crystal on her neck, making Will step back, he couldn't see anything due to the bright light; but he certainly heard something crack and it only meant one thing: Kamdor is free. He was a tall warrior, wearing blue armour from head to toe.

"At long last!" He growled triumphantly. Well… this is going to complicate things.

_ With Kimberly and Andrew… _

_ 17:35… _

( _Scene: Overdrive Base, Underground, Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Andrew and I watched as the Overdrive Rangers fought both Miratrix and a recently released Kamdor. Myself and Andrew told the Overdrive Rangers that Will never betrayed us, it was to get him behind enemy lines and it worked up to now. From the looks of it, Will and Kamdor sparked up a rivalry, so if we are to meet those two again, them two are going to clash, a lot. Miratrix on the other hand, was giving the other rangers a run for their money, despite the aid from their primary weapons; however, Will sent Rose a message in Morse, telling us Miratrix and Kamdor have the Hou-Oh. That's not the best of it, all the rangers are aware my father is missing, presumed dead, Will said in his message that Miratrix is responsible for my dad going missing and on the run. I still hold onto hope my dad is not dead. When I heard that, it took a lot of willpower to calm myself down, but now, I cannot. I have serious interrogation to do. I returned to the screen to see Mack, Ronny, Rose and Dax get thrown off their feet. I told myself I wasn't getting involved in the fight, but I have to, for now.

Stepping away from the screen, I was heading towards the lift; well, I'm not going into the lift, until Andrew turned and spoke out to me.

"Where are you going!?",

"To a fight." I simply said. I tapped my communicator, teleporting to the kids' location.

_ Moments Later… _

( _Scene: Battlefield, Far Outside The City, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I materialised in front of the kids, just as Will was pushed back by Kamdor. The rangers were surprised by my sudden appearance and how I got here so quickly. Great, now I'll have to explain teleportation to them when we get back. Not turning to the kids, my attention was on the people responsible for my dad going missing; I am praying that he's not dead. He always said its hard to put down a Hart. I sensed my eyes were flashing and it was a warning to them. It Kamdor who spoke first.

"And who are you?",

"I think Miratrix could answer that for you." I replied coldly. I saw her smile.

"Kimberly Hart, you decide to grace us with your presence." I could hear the mocking tone in her voice.

"I've only come here for one thing, and one thing only. What did you do to my dad?" Miratrix and Kamdor stayed quiet, not answering at all. Looks like I'll have to force the truth out of them, I know Kamdor was still trapped in the crystal when Miratrix threatened my dad; but surely he has seen it all. My eyes began to flash even fiercer, as I said the morphing command: "It's Morphin' Time!" Bright pink light surrounded me, feeling my suit form around me and feeling the all too familiar of the power the Morphing Grid gave me. Once it died down, I stood between the rangers and our enemies, morphed in my suit. "You messed with and tore my family apart, you will suffer my wrath!" Without further words, both Miratrix and Kamdor charged at me. I unholstered my blaster, bringing it to blade mode, then summoned my short sword out of thin air and got into a dual sword stance. Kamdor swung his double-bladed lance at me, which I blocked and countered a strike from Miratrix. Turning back to Will's new rival, I gave him a hard, front kick into the stomach, knocking him down; leaving Miratrix herself standing. I didn't hold back at all, all my strikes were hard, fast and she struggled to counter and block them. I slashed my blade down on her, which she attempted to block, but it made her stagger; forcing her drop the weapon. Now that Miratrix is disarmed, I dismissed my Eltarian short sword, got in three quick strikes on my enemy. Miratrix tried to crawl away from me, but I slammed my foot on her back, causing her yell out in pain. Kamdor was quick to come to her aid, but I switched the blade back to blaster mode and fired three lasers at him. I turned my attention back to Miratrix, as she laid frozen on the ground in fear.

"Don't hurt me!" She whimpered, which was almost pitiful.

"I will do more than just hurt you, if you don't answer my one question." I snarled. Taking off my helmet, I threw it to the side and turned my opponent over, so she can see the anger on my face. I grabbed Miratrix by the neck, pulling her up and brought her close to me. My grip was firm, tight and she almost struggled to breathe. "Where is my father!?" Miratrix looked at me, right in the eye, as they flashed a threatening red.

"I- I do- don't- know." She choked. Her response made me angrier.

"YOU LIE!" I yelled, punching her in the stomach and tightened my grip even further. I glared down on her, maybe I should do the Overdrive Rangers a favour and end Miratrix's pathetic life. In my head, I felt Firebird stir and she was gleefully encouraging me to do it. "You're a waste of my time." My strength at this point passed human and into Eltarian enhanced strength. With Kamdor still weakened, my focus is on slowly, choking the life of this sad warrior from an unknown planet. Like anyone will miss her. I was completely blanked out, ignoring the screams from the rangers behind me, listening to Firebird telling me not to stop. With Miratrix gone, it's one less enemy to deal with. I watched as Miratrix struggled to breathe, unable to to get oxygen into her lungs until…

( _No POV_ )

The rangers watched in awe as their mentor beat both Kamdor and Miratrix like they were nothing. What did they expect? Dr. Hart has four years of ranger experience and that is certainly showing through. She managed to knock down Kamdor, who was struggling to get up and focused on Miratrix. The five of them knew why, their mentor wants answers about her dad, why this warrior targeted him and if she is responsible for killing Dr. Kevin Hart, but if she isn't; she is the primary reason to why he left his family and went on the run, literally vanishing with little or no trace. Will was asking Mack if they should help Dr. Hart, but Mack just replied saying, their mentor doesn't look like she needs help. Anyways, it's not everyday their mentor just pops up out of the blue and helps them fight their battles. The last time she aided them, was when they first became Power Rangers and helped them rescue civilians from the lava flow of the forced volcano eruption; courtesy of Moltor. After that, they figured that would be their mentor's first and last aid to them, since then; she always remained behind the battle, but Will did mention that Miratrix wanted to figure out a way to lure Dr. Hart out; now she got it, but regrets it.

The battle kept on going between Miratrix and Dr. Hart and the Pink Ranger was not letting up or holding back. She was being way more intense than when William sparred with her. At the level she is at right now, none of them would be able to keep up. Ronny was silently observing the battle, she noticed Dr. Hart's attacks were becoming more lethal and heavier. Each strike was meant to stagger and weaken, eventually the Original Pink Ranger disarmed Miratrix, leaving her defenceless. They didn't think much on the ferocity of their mentor, all she wanted to do was interrogate their opponent about Kevin Hart. Unfortunately, the situation changed very quickly, to the point it began to scare them. It looked like Dr. Hart was no longer interrogating Miratrix, but…

"Mack! We have to stop her!" Rose exclaimed, "I know she's our enemy, but we are not murderers!",

"You're right Rose." He replied, taking out his Overdrive Defender in blaster mode. He looked at the others, they nodded in approval, which basically told him to take the shot. Mack hated doing this, but there's one thing that Dr. Hart taught them, no matter who your enemy is, you fight with honour; you never strike an enemy down with hate. Their mentor is doing the opposite of her words. He gestured to Dax and Will to get ready to run and apprehend Dr. Hart. Underneath his helmet, he took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry Dr. Hart." He muttered and fired a blast, right into his mentor's back. The laser caused the Pink Ranger to release Miratrix, dropping her, then Dax and Will sprinted, catching their mentor by both arms and pulled her away. This was while Kamdor limped to Miratrix and they both teleported from the battle, to lick their wounds. Meanwhile, Dax and Will were struggling to apprehend their mentor, who looked to be in a fit of blind rage or anger; because she didn't have her helmet, they all saw her eyes glow fiercely, like a demonic red. It actually scared them. Next, Dr. Hart managed to shake the Black and Blue Overdrive Rangers, throwing them towards Rose and Ronny.

Mack ran towards Dr. Hart to engage with her and maybe, by some miracle, calm the Historian down. Unsheathing his Drive Lance, both he and the Pink Ranger clashed, a rookie against an experienced veteran; who chooses to come and go in battle. Mack swung his lance at the ranger, she ducked underneath it, striking the blade of her sword into his abdomen. Mack gritted his teeth to stop himself from yelling out, it really hurt, but he couldn't let up now; he also has to try and avoid his mentor's alter ego taking over; unless Firebird is somehow influencing Dr. Hart. He recalls Rhea saying Firebird is a much worse enemy, compared to Moltor, Fluious, Kamdor and Miratrix combined. They're all doomed if Firebird comes out and who knows how much power she could have, if she gets her hands on the Corona Aurora.

"You made a mistake interfering boy." Dr. Hart growled, but there was something different about her voice. It was almost low, threatening, dangerous.

"That may be, but we don't kill Dr. Hart! Our purpose is to locate and gather the jewels! Protect the innocent!" He countered, "Have you already forgotten that?" Mack tried not cave at the look on Hart's face, the glowing red eyes weren't helping. He stared at stone cold, glaring red eyes, not soft and caring doe-brown. Mack prepared himself for another attack from his mentor, but instead, she somehow stopped herself; sheathing her weapon. Kimberly closed her eyes, calming her storm and with help from Rhea, pushed Firebird and her influence back into her mind and conscience. Kim opened her eyes once more, all the rangers saw they were no longer red, but returned to their normal colour. Dr. Hart powered down her suit, her helmet disappearing in pink light. It seemed like Mack managed to get through to Kimberly, as they all sighed in relief. For a second, they thought they were facing Dr. Hart's alter ego.

"I will let this slide." Kim said, "Though, get in my way again, you won't be facing me." With that, Dr. Hart tapped her watch and consumed herself in pink light, teleporting. Was her statement a threat or a warning? With one crisis averted, there is one problem; Kamdor and Miratrix have the Hou-Oh and most likely, the scroll that leads to the next clue of the Yellow Corona Jewel. Now, they have more serious problems: their own mentor and a fear of her going out of control. They ask themselves if they can trust their mentor at all.

_ 19:25… _

( _Scene: Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Instead of going down to the Overdrive Base with Andrew and the kids, I teleported straight to my guest room instead. My door was shut, so I had my privacy, no doubt the kids won't go near me for a while, not after I lost control of myself. Firebird maybe sealed away, but she is definitely capable of influencing me and my actions, if the opportunity arises; she's like the Devil inside me and it scares me. I am scared of myself, I don't want to hurt people, it's not my nature; but if I'm pushed, I will snap. Firebird is a caged animal waiting to be released. I don't understand why Tommy and the others can't bring themselves to kill me if I go out of control, they focus too much in trying to bring me back; they won't go as far as putting me down, unless I'm completely gone. That trip to Firebird's alternate Earth was an eye opener, a lesson of what I could be. It shows how dangerous I am, how unhinged I could become. The kids saw it, I attacked them, Mack and I fought; even though he knew his chances of standing against me were slim. I could have killed him, ever since the war, it showed me that I am capable of taking a life; I sometimes see how much blood I have on my hands and I can never wash it off. They saw I showed no remorse in attempting to kill Miratrix, thinking about it now, that laser to my back sort agitated my scars. It's going to be itchy for a while. Though, I deserve it.

I decided to head to the bathroom to wash the dust and sweat off my face. It was sort of crazy of me to remove my helmet, but I wanted to show Miratrix that I'm not to be messed with. It wouldn't surprise me if she saw the monster inside me, that I'm capable of… immoral acts if push comes to shove. I am a ranger, but after what I have been through in the past, I am far from honourable. Many things I did may have dishonoured the ranger rules and… I guess I feel ashamed. The things I did, some of the acts of brutality I used in interrogation throughout the war, before and after my torture; it is why I never want to hold the Power again. I feel I am too dangerous to be carrying them, I almost considered in handing back the Ninjetti powers to my aunt or my mother. However, they both refused, saying Rhea acts like a counterbalance against Firebird, Good and Evil; Light and Dark, Yin and Yang. Aunt Dulcea warned me if I returned the Ninjetti Powers, it would give Firebird an opportunity to fight me for control; because Rhea would not be there to keep her in check. Reaching the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and turned on the tap. I splashed my face with the cool, cold water, then quickly turned it off and grabbed a towel. I patted my face dry with it and lifted my head towards the mirror. Then… instead of my own reflection, I see something else, I see Firebird; grinning at me with her cold, red eyes and then shifts to her ranger form. The intimidating crimson suit with the gold chest armour that looks like the Dragon Shield, the helmet that represents the Pterodactyl-Firebird. What I could have become. I had enough, got scared and snapped, instantly raising fist, yelling out and punched the mirror, breaking it. Glass fell everywhere, into the sink and the floor, my heart rate was soaring, my fist was still connected to the now broken mirror. I see a part of my reflection in the cracked mirror, on what's left of the glass, my reflection is normal again. I know who… what I am. A curse Maligore placed on me and I'm a monster waiting to be unleashed.

I removed my hand from the mirror, seeing bits of the glass stained with my blood, I stared at my knuckles, they're bloodied; definitely a few shards stuck in there. However, a few shards of glass has got nothing on shrapnel. All of a sudden, I heard the door being kicked open, Mack was first to run in, followed by Rose. The other rangers, Andrew and Spencer stood outside, why are they here with me? Are they not too scared to approach me? After I lashed at them?

"Come on Dr. Hart, let's get that hand of yours patched up." Said Mack, giving me a friendly smile. They're all acting as if what happened on the battlefield never occurred.

"Are you guys not afraid of me?" I asked them, "You should." That was when Rose put her hand on my shoulder.

"We might have been scared at the start, but now, we are not. We know you have issues, we do trust you, but you need to trust us." Next, my Animal Spirit Rhea appeared. Something tells me, she appeared before the rookies behind my back, she took some tips from Daedalus, I didn't think my Crane Spirit could be so sly. Of course, since the kids touched the Power, the Morphing Grid now permits them to see the Animal Spirits, along with the Dinozord and Thunder Spirits. That explains why they all screamed last week, they have never seen spirits, so that must have shocked them all.

 _"Rose is right Kimberly. Bring down your wall and let them in. You made a family with the Dino Thunder Rangers, do the same with the current rangers."_ Rhea advised, _"Stop closing up on people, they all want to help you."_ I sighed out loud, taking Rhea's words to heart. With all the shit I went through, I find it hard to trust. When Tommy and the others attempted to get through to me, they constantly had to fight this mental wall I put up; and it's not easy to break down. I guess I keep doing it to protect myself, to stop others from seeing my pain and suffering. I silently the team down to the kitchen, as Andrew grabbed the First-aid Kit from the cupboard. I braced myself, expecting him to slam it, instead; thank god, he just closed it gently. That's good, last thing the kids need to witness is me having a panic attack. Spencer sat down in front of me, proceeding to clean my wound and wipe off the blood first, once that was done; he picked up the tweezers and began to gently, as he could, remove the glass shards embedded in my knuckles. I turned to Andrew.

"Sorry about the mirror. I'll replace it for you.",

"No need Kim. It's just a mirror." Shrugged Andrew,

"What made you hit the mirror?" Dax asked me, "Did you see something?" Don't close up on them, open up. Just tell them, maybe I should consider taking trips up and down to Mariner Bay for more therapy with Dana. Although, the kids will start asking why I am coming and going; I don't want them to know or ever know that I fought in _Countdown_ back in ninety-nine. It's because of _Countdown To Destruction_ and the events leading up to it, is the reason I'm so mentally fucked up. War leaves a mark on everyone, marks that are not just physical, but psychological too.

"I… I saw my alter ego." I muttered, but they heard.

"Firebird?" Ronny identified. Looks like Rhea gave them the run down on my evil side. I silently nodded. "Dr. Hart, are you… afraid of your darker half?" No point in beating around the bush or question dodging. If I'm not somewhat open with them, they'll find it hard to trust me as a mentor.

"She's the reason why Reefside was almost destroyed. It's my fault she got out, I wasn't strong enough. Firebird just overpowered me." My attention turned back to Spencer as he bandaged my hand. "After today, I actually thought I was going to seriously hurt you all. I wasn't really Firebird, but she was… influencing me. I let my anger get the better of me, it made me vulnerable to give into her temptations."

"We managed to stop you though." Will voiced,

"The five of you got lucky." I sighed, "If it comes to it, promise me: if I can't be brought back, you must kill me.",

"WHAT!?" They all screeched and started to bombard me with protests. Things like they can't bring themselves to kill one of their own, there has to be a way around it. Why am I not surprised? It's the exact same reaction I got from my friends. I don't want this world to end up the same way Firebird's Earth was, there's no way in Hell, will I let my home become a wasteland. I will not become some power-hungry dictator! Speaking of that, ever since that trip to Alternate Earth or Billy calls it Earth-X, because… perhaps it should be forgotten; I've been waking Tommy at all hours of the night because of nightmares. Nightmares not of the war, but what if the events that happened on Earth-X, occurred here. Those nightmares have lessened though after a couple of weeks.

"Look, it's a last resort if I cannot be saved. Sometimes I feel I'm a danger to this planet, I have a monster inside me that makes the Psycho Rangers look like rag dolls." The five rangers looked at me like I have two heads, I mentally sighed. They don't know about the ranger teams before them, except for the few members of Time and Wild Force, then mentions from me here and there. I did make small mentions of my team, but that was to Dax only, I spoke to William about Ninja Storm and they all know a little about Dino Thunder; as I frequently brought them up. Other than that, they really don't know details, so note to myself: call Tommy to send me a copy of the updated Power Rangers Legacy Video. I decided to steer the conversation away about myself and my alter ego issues, they don't need to hear anymore guilt from me. "So, what of the Hou-Oh? The scroll it carried?",

"Kamdor and Miratrix have it." Mack revealed. It's my fault, if I didn't lose control, the kids wouldn't have been so focused on me, trying to calm my anger; and stop Firebird from either influencing me or attempting take over of my mind and body. Once again, I wasn't strong enough against Firebird, I wish there was a way to… remove The Flame of Destruction from my body or purify my Thunderzord Spirit somehow. Aunt Dulcea, being the expert on Animal Spirits, she looked into it for me, but came up with nothing. No one has ever been able to remove or purge The Flame of Destruction from their bodies, their souls. Those victims either became corrupted by the Flame, gave into its power or they were able to prevent it from fully controlling them and live with it. Jason is lucky his alter ego is quiet, he doesn't have to worry about fighting with another half for control. How long can I go on before I mad? Then the Red Overdrive Ranger broke me out of my thoughts. "Don't worry about it Dr. Hart, we'll get it back." He gave me a reassuring smile and I just nodded. Andrew told the rangers to hit the hay and that I do the same, I need to rest. By then, Spencer had finished bandaging my injured hand. Hopefully, we will get the scroll back and hit the road again in recovering the Yellow Corona Jewel and the others: the Blue, Red and Pink jewel. We still have the Black Corona Jewel in our possession, at least that's safe.

Following the others, we retreated into our rooms. I didn't bother changing into my sleepwear, I was too exhausted, just collapsed on my bed and let sleep take over me.

_ Five Days Later… _

_ 8:10… _

_ Friday… _

_ 6th July 2006… _

Canon: _Face to Face_

** Time: Unknown… **

** Year: Summer, 1998… **

**Canon: _Power Rangers In Space_**

( **Nightmare** / ** _Scene: Interrogation and Torture Room, The Dark Fortress, Unknown Location, Space_** / _Kimberly's POV_ )

**I found myself regaining consciousness again. My back was on fire, Ecliptor used the electric whip on me and set the voltage to the max. Rhea and I used the strength we had to silently cut the connection to the other Ninjetti, so they won't feel anything; if they find out where I am gone, there will be a stampede coming to Eltar. I was still chained to the wall, better me than my cousin Aegis or my uncle figure Boreas. It's been what? Seventy-two hours since my capture? Well, I really surrendered after I bought Aegis and Boreas enough time to escape; despite that, I still fought until I exhausted my energy. I was put into a cell for twenty-four hours, then moved to this room; the interrogation began yesterday. When I wouldn't answer their questions, the torture methods began. It started off with being beaten, when I didn't give in, the standard and electric whips were brought in. The Alliance realised I wouldn't break, so Astronema sent in Darkonda and he used various blades on me; he cut deep into my back, either quick slashes or slow, painful surgical precision infliction. Darkonda seems to get enjoyment out of my pain, hearing me yell out. Astronema does order my wounds to be cleaned, they don't want me to die too quickly, Dark Spectre thinks he hit a jackpot since I'm the Lieutenant of the Eltarian Army.**

**My father is held in another room and is practically begging The Alliance to not harm me any further, but it's going to be a matter of time before they do kill me. They perceive me as a threat, I have a bounty and a 'Kill On Sight' order on me; though I suspect Astronema has other plans. I overheard her saying she has a project that involves creating an evil team of Power a Rangers called the Psycho Rangers. She thinks if she can control me, I'll be granted one of the Psycho Powers and kill the Astro Rangers, then hunt down the previous teams. That's worrying, if Astronema succeeds in creating the Psychos, the Astro Rangers will be given a run for their money. Dark Spectre, on the other hand, wants to release Firebird; my alter ego, by familial terms, Dark Spectre is Firebird's uncle. After becoming Firebird for the first time, I was so scared, she tapped into powers I didn't think I had; but thanks to Tommy, he was able to seal her away in my mind, but there's always the risk of her being released again. Suddenly, I heard the door open with a familiar 'whoosh', I looked up to see a silhouette and it wasn't Ecliptor's; it was Darkonda. Fuck! I forget the two take turns. I listened to his footsteps, as they got closer and closer, then; I was forced to look at him. I gave Darkonda a deadly glare, my eyes flashing red, but all he did was laugh.**

**"Time to have some fun, Eltarian." He proceeded to his table, picking up a dagger, that he sharpened not too long ago. "Let's see how long you can go, before passing out; daughter of Zordon.",**

**"Not going to question me, Darkonda?" I growled at him. The room filled with his light chuckle.**

**"That is Ecliptor's job. I do it, because it is fun.",**

**"You're a fucking sick bastard!" I said to him, only to yell out as I felt my back being struck.**

**"I commend your bravery Kara. Stubbornness runs in your family, but I assure you, I will break you." Then, I felt the blade stick into my back, between my shoulder blades. Slowly, he dragged the blade down my back, as my screams were heard in the room; I could feel the blood flowing out my wound, he must have cut deep and he stopped at the small of my back. It allowed me to get my breath back. Time seemed to have slowed down, stopped or ceased to exist, as Darkonda continued to use various knives and blades on me; cutting into my back like it's a piece of canvas. It wasn't long before the blood loss took its toll on me and my world went black.**

( **Nightmare Ends** / _Scene: Kimberly's Guest Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Rangers gathered outside their mentor's room after they awoke to hearing the sounds of screaming. They were sure it seemed like she was having a nightmare and it was best to wake her up from it. Whatever Dr. Hart was dreaming about, it must be bad if it has her screaming and thrashing in the bed. The boys didn't want to be disrespectful, so either Rose or Ronny would have to go in. Rose volunteered and said she will call out, if back up was required, but Ronny insisted to go in with her just in case. The boys stood outside, while the two female rangers entered the room, turning on the light. It was pretty bad, they have never someone in a state like this, Rose knew she had to wake up Dr. Hart before she hurt herself in her nightmare state. Ronny kept her distance while Rose carefully approached her mentor, intending to touch her shoulder. Rose reached out and put her hand on Kim's shoulder, saying:

"Dr. Hart! Wake up! You're having…" Before she could finish her sentence, Dr. Hart sprang up without warning, knocking Rose to the ground. She felt a pair of hands wrap around her throat, attempting to choke her to death! Kimberly's eyes were open, but there was fear, anger; the way Kim looked at Rose was as if she was someone else, not Rose Ortiz. Rose was finding herself unable to breathe, struggling under Dr. Hart's iron grip, her legs kicking out helplessly. Ronny reacted in an instant to save her friend, yelling for the guys to rush in, which they did as the Yellow Ranger super speeded towards Dr. Hart; catching her off guard and threw her off Rose; allowing the Pink Ranger to get much needed air into her lungs. Despite it being a hard push, Kim quickly got up and slammed her shoulder in Ronny. Mack called out the Pink Ranger.

"Dr. Hart! Snap out of it! Please!",

"I'm not falling for that Darkonda!" She said. Everyone was completely confused, did their mentor just call Mack Darkonda? Who is Darkonda? Next, Rhea appeared before them all, using her abilities and created a shield or force field to trap her champion. Rhea is no stranger to her champion's nightmares and night terrors, but it's been a long time since she had one and this one is bad. Rhea flew towards the Pink Ninjetti, hovering in front of her, as she slammed her shoulder into the shield and punching it, trying to escape. The Crane Spirit focused on her connection, using it to find Kimberly.

 _"Kimberly! Listen to me! You are having a nightmare and hallucinating."_ She said, _"You are not The Alliance's prisoner of war! They are not torturing you!" _ Behind her, the kids were listening to every word she was saying, unknowingly out loud. They looked at each other, hearing this revelation about their mentor. Every time they learn something new, more and more questions pop up in their heads. What is The Alliance? Why was Dr. Hart tortured? How did she end up a prisoner of war? What war did she fight in?

"But… but Darkonda…",

 _" Darkonda is no more Kara. There is no need to fear."_ Kara? The rangers thought their mentor's name is Kimberly Hart, married to a man whose surname is Oliver. Their minds are asking too many questions, now it's coming to the point that they're sick and tired of Kimberly's secrets. They now want to know who she really is, where she is from. Kim hid a lot of secrets since they began their service and now it's beyond a joke. Rose almost considered looking up the contact Kimberly is friendly with: Dr. William 'Billy' Cranston, if they're such good friends, Dr. Cranston would know a lot about Kim. They all now feel, the time for secrets is over, they want to know their mentor. _"Wake up Kara!"_ Rhea said firmly and she dropped the shield. Dr. Hart collapsed to the floor, still conscious, but shaking the cobwebs from her mind. She looked up and saw the Overdrive Rangers staring at her. Then she said to herself:

"What have I done?" Before they could even get near Kim, she got up onto her feet and ran out the door, leaving them all baffled. They decided to follow their mentor, but Rhea appeared again and shook her head.

 _"I know you are worried for her, but do not attempt to approach her for a few hours."_ She said to them all. _"I understand the five of you have questions regarding Kimberly's past, until she is ready to speak, do not broach the topics in her presence."_ With that, the Crane Spirit disappeared, leaving the Overdrive Rangers alone. After hearing such words, they opted to respect Dr. Hart's space and let her speak when she is ready, for now; their mentor-ranger relationship maybe on the rocks. Which it has been over the passing weeks. Not too long ago, they managed to recover the parchment from Kamdor and Miratrix, which they couldn't translate at all; the parchment was written in an alien language, hiding the clue of the Toru Diamond's location. Kimberly, at the moment is in no state to help with the translations, so the responsibility has fallen onto Rose and the progress is slow.

_ 8:50… _

( _Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I was sitting on the bench, in front of the large fountain that sat in the middle of Andrew's large garden. Everything seems to be going downhill after I tried to kill Miratrix. I haven't been snappy, maybe… only a little, but I was closing off from the kids. They're learning too much, too quickly and now, they all have nothing but questions about my past; when they should be focusing on the finding the Yellow Corona Jewel. I can't believe I attacked them, I was stuck in my nightmare state and tried to choke Rose to death. I called Mack Darkonda, one of my two torturers during my captivity. Rhea had to get through to me, but of course, she let her tongue slip, revealing a few more of my secrets, like my real name, that I was a prisoner of war; which led to the obvious fact that I was involved in a war.

Perhaps it was a mistake coming here, I shouldn't be their mentor, especially when I have so many problems. There is a high risk Firebird could fight me for control, I try to keep out of the fighting. I try my best not to touch any new powers, but the Ninjetti. Just like during my service with the Dino Thunder Rangers, I see myself as a danger to everyone around me. I still feel that I'm a bad luck charm. Maybe it is best that I leave, Andrew can fill in as a mentor, I can't afford the kids getting hurt because of me.

"The kids are worried about you." A voice said behind me. I turned to see Spencer, taking his seat beside me. "Andrew is too and so do I.",

"Two separate occasions Spencer, two attempts I almost hurt the kids.",

"I understand how you feel Mrs. Oliver. You have that look I have seen in some of my old comrades." I looked at Spencer, unsure of where he is getting at. "I have seen war and it is horrible, nothing victorious about it. When I turned eighteen, I enlisted in the US Army and fought in the Vietnam War. I was only twelve when it began, but I fought in nineteen-sixty-one.",

"The war didn't conclude till nineteen-seventy-five." I added, learning about it in high school and my university course. "But the US troops withdrew in seventy-three."

"I was there till the end of that withdraw and witnessed many horrors. You and I are not so different. The war you fought in still haunts you till this day." He replied. "Like you, I rose quickly in the ranks. By sixty-seven, I was promoted to rank of Commander. The two of us have experienced loss unlike any other.",

"Have you… felt you could have done more?" I asked him,

"Yes. The poor souls I wished to save, so they could go home; it's all they wanted, all they asked for, nothing more, nothing less." I heard Spencer's change in tone, it was sad and sombre. I feel that way when I talk about the war I was in. It's why I try to avoid talking about it and avoid any reminders. "I see their faces, the sounds of war never left me. PTSD soon caught up to me." Looks like Spencer and I have more in common than I actually thought. Who knew he fought in the Vietnam War, I'm actually speaking to a real war veteran! Spencer… even he lived with PTSD.

"How… how did you live with PTSD?" I questioned,

"I knew something was wrong with me. I spoke to my parents; God have mercy on their souls, and got help." Spencer smiled softly. "Something tells me, you didn't speak out until it was too late. It is no wonder your memories still haunt you.",

"I thought I had… could control my PTSD. After all the fighting, being the Lieutenant for an alien army, I assumed my friends wouldn't understand." I admitted to the veteran commander, "I just… pushed them away." Our conversation was interrupted when we heard the engines of the SHARC taking off. Looks like the kids are heading somewhere, to get help to translate the parchment they managed to recover. "I kept telling them I was fine.",

"The solider's response." Chuckled Spencer and lightly. "I heard it so many times, I know when fine is not fine. I do wish I could help them. Some refused, but couldn't take it and a few of my brothers committed suicide." I can relate to that too.

"I almost considered suicide, when my PTSD became too much to bear. All the guilt I burdened, I wanted to die. What stopped me, were my friends and especially, when they found a therapist for me.",

"Being a Power Ranger narrows your choices. I assume your therapist is a past ranger." Said Spencer and I nodded. "I'm glad though, suicide is never an answer to relieve pain, as it inflicts pain on others.",

"I do have a service dog. Rex helps me in a big way.",

"I can imagine. Nothing better than man's best friend. The war taught you some very harsh lessons.",

"I joined the Eltarian Army at sixteen. I was turning twenty when _Countdown_ begun." I sighed. "It frustrates me so much when people call it an invasion, it wasn't! It was an intergalactic scale war. Earth wasn't the only god damned planet to be attacked!" I tightened my grip on the bench I sat on, both of us hearing the wood creak due to my strength. When I visit Angel Grove, with Tommy and my friends, I sometimes hear the odd few things from people about _Countdown_ ; they all say Earth was lucky to survive such an invasion. Then hearing aliens are hostile, they must be monsters, it annoyed me. Humans on Earth can be a little narrow minded, they don't realise that ' _aliens_ ' do walk among them; I mean, there's myself, Aegis, Zhane, Karone and Andros. Aunt Dulcea comes down to visit me, she's nearly finished teaching class for the end of the semester; the exams must have started at this stage. Andrew hopes to have this whole thing done before Christmas of this year, so I can return to normality; but should it go into early zero-seven, I'm still covered till I return to the school. Anyways, Dulcea actually enjoys teaching, she is also a teacher on Eltar. I hope Aegis is doing alright with Maths Class. I have been very busy, literally had no time to contact Tommy, also Jason and Trini. No doubt all three of them are going ballistic and tearing Reefside and Angel Grove apart. Note to myself: call them all. I brought my attention back to Spencer, as he was feeling a little uncomfortable with my prolonged silence. "Even though I was raised by humans, I see that they can be capable of evil, much like the enemies that every ranger team have faced. They are not so different.",

"At the same time, humans are capable of wonderful things. War has been among our history for centuries, there's nothing we can do about it; but only hope we don't repeat it.",

"I've always viewed history as a series of long lessons that we can learn from. It's like what Chuck Palahnuik said: ' _We'll be remembered more for what we destroyed, than what we created_ '." It does seem true. Then Spencer chuckles and counteracts my quote.

"And Friedrich Nietzsche quoted: _'All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity_ '." Do I really want to have a debate with this man? All I did was sigh and shook my head, the old butler got me there. He won the battle of philosophy this time. All of a sudden, my stomach began to growl. "Come now, Mrs. Oliver, I'll fix you up some food and let's see what happens when two war veterans play a game of Chess; Lieutenant Kara of Eltar." His eyes had a playful twinkle in them. He sees I need a break from monitoring the rangers down in the Overdrive Base.

"Let's see can you match my skills as a tactician then, after food; veteran Commander Spencer." Standing up, Spencer and I returned to the mansion, so I could eat something and play a few rounds of Chess with the butler, also to learn more about each other.

_ Several Hours Later… _

_ 18:00… _

( _Scene: Overdrive Base, Underground, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

After having some food, playing several rounds of Chess with Spencer and having some heart-to-heart talk about our similarities, our experiences with war. It was quite… enlightening to talk to another veteran, no offence to Dana, even though she's an excellent therapist; I feel she does not understand me when I talk about the war, she is not really seeing it. Spencer relates to me, the wars we fought in maybe different, but what we went through is the same. I found it easy to open up to him, telling him about my time as a prisoner of war, being tortured; he was able to sympathise with me. It is hard to think that he is a war veteran, Spencer is just so kind, he would not hurt a fly; the same can be said for me though, me being a soldier is the last thing people would think of. They wouldn't see me as the type to pick up a gun. Looks can be deceiving though and you never judge a person, until they tell you their life story. Sometimes, I still see a bit of my father in Spencer, he's like my own mentor or advisor, as I mentor the kids. Suddenly, the bell in the elevator sounded and the doors opened. The kids returned after their excursion in London with Rose's university in an attempt to translate the parchment, everything else, I'm in the dark with all this, since Spencer was insistent on keeping me out of the Overdrive Base for the day, which Andrew was actually glad about. I guess I also scared him when I went a little nuts on Miratrix, then attacked his son and the other rangers. I don't blame him for being wary of me.

Spencer and I stepped out of the elevator to meet Andrew and the kids, but then my eyes laid on an unexpected guest: some humanoid, scaly alien or… monster. He must have worked with Moltor and defected. I still couldn't trust him or it and instantly went into my fighting stance, even preparing to morph; until Mack stepped in front of him defensively, his hands raised.

"Woah, woah, woah! Dr. Hart! Easy, it's alright. He's friendly!" He said in panicked voice. "His name is Tyzon, he's a Mercurian." My eyebrows furrowed. Mercurian? Is he from a planet I read about during my stay on Eltar? The name of his citizenship rings bells.

"You're from… Mercuria?" I asked him,

"How do you know, human?" Great, do I really have to go there? Then, Tyzon cocked his head to the side, noticing my necklace. "Hey, why are you wearing Aria's necklace?" I instantly went on the defence, my muscles stiffening, as everyone in the room had confused looks on their faces. "My parents were good friends with her and Zordon." Explained Tyzon and then, he put two and two together. "You're her daughter!? No wonder you looked like her. I was still a child when they visited, but the similarities are uncanny. It's kind of scary how much you look like Aria." Then Ronny interrupted us, because she was looking completely confused. Everyone else were in the same boat.

"What is going on!?" She turned to Tyzon, "Ty, why are you talking to Dr. Hart as if she isn't from Earth?",

"You never told them?" He asked. All eyes were on me, suddenly, I felt small. I was hoping to keep my past out of this, but with Tyzon spouting about my biological parents, I have no choice but to reveal my heritage. It is going to strain our friendship, but it's a risk I'll have to take. They will learn to trust me again, once they understand why I hid my true identity from them. Tyzon looked back at the other rangers. "You're standing before the daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar and Commander Aria of Phaedos; Kara of Eltar.",

"You're not… from Earth?" Dax stuttered, upon hearing this revelation.

"Tell us Hart!" Ronny demanded,

"Tyzon is right. I am from Eltar. The truth is: I was born on that planet, but it was attacked. My father sent me to Earth for my protection." Mack stepped back in disbelief, as did the others. They were finding it hard to cope with this.

"Why did you keep this from us!?" He yelled, "You're our mentor, I thought there was no secrets!",

"I didn't want my past to become wrapped up in this." I admitted, "I'm sorry.",

"Please… just… leave." He gritted through his teeth,

"Mack!" Andrew warned, but I stopped him.

"No! I'll leave. I step down from my position as mentor, Andrew will that role in my stead." I walked towards the elevator, to head up to my room and pack my belongings and return home. I pressed the elevator button, but put in one last word to them. "Pour lemonade onto the parchment. It is coated in a resin that will react to the citric acid and reveal the location of the Toru Diamond." The elevator then opened. "Goodbye, rangers." And I stepped in, then the doors closed behind me.

( _Andrew's POV_ )

After the kids did what Kimberly told them to do, the citric acid removed the resin covering the parchment, revealing a set of numbers; they were co-ordinates, leading them to another volcano. Tyzon has agreed to come with them, they are already heading towards the second jewel's location. I'm a bit upset that Kim never really opened up with the kids, because of that, it shattered the trust they had. It was already on shaky grounds when they began asking questions, then Tyzon - the Mercurian really shoots the gun. Kimberly should have told them the truth, now she has stepped down from mentorship, passing that role onto me. Where is she going to go? Home to Reefside? I don't know if she can, Kim won't risk bringing some of our enemies' attention there, now that we have another bunch added to our list: the Fear Cats and they are dangerous; like their name suggests. She will… probably stay in a cheap hotel, just away from us. If I ask her to stay here, even just to help with the ranger technology and the maintenance of the Zords, she just feel like an outsider to us. The Overdrive Rangers are angry with her, as trust has to go both ways, it suddenly feels like a one-way road now.

I walked over to the screen, typing in a code, revealing a hidden safe in the wall, similar to the one upstairs. I placed my hand on the scanner and the safe opened. I pulled out two items: they were both Overdrive morphers. I had them built in secret, in case they were ever needed. Unlike the five current Overdrive Trackers which are handheld, these two morphers are worn on the left wrist. Tyzon would be more than capable of wielding the Overdrive Mercury Powers. The other morpher was really for backup, I almost considered in making it an emergency auxiliary morpher, intended for temporary use; however, something stopped me and I didn't. I made this morpher specifically for Kimberly, if she refused to hold the Red Overdrive Ranger powers, which she did. Spencer told me a part of her yearns to be on the battlefield, but she holds back, afraid that she will get someone hurt. The old butler even got Kim to open up, using his experience as a war veteran. She just clicked with him, even telling him without thinking, that she was from Eltar. If I show her this morpher when the time is right, maybe, just maybe, she will accept them. As the saying goes with each ranger who served: ' _Once a ranger, always a ranger_ '.

The problem is the kids, it will take them a while to forgive her, for hiding so many secrets from them. Her revelation of being from a different planet blew the bomb and completely threw them all into disbelief. I wonder why Kim finds it so hard to trust? She has a shield up, it seems like Spencer is familiar with such mental shields and able to bypass it. He's no stranger to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder too, he sees the same symptoms in Kimberly. Unlike the former commander, he got help when something wasn't right, the Pink Ranger never reached out until she accepted the fact, she has PTSD. When she unintentionally attacked the kids in her nightmare state, no doubt she was dreaming about her time in the war, as if it is still fresh. Had she gotten help sooner, rather than later, her memories would not be so raw. The rangers now know their mentor is a war veteran, Spencer said she fought in _Countdown To Destruction_. Her home was attacked heavily and watched many of those she cared about die in front of her. Survivor's Guilt is a part of symptoms of PTSD, Kim wishes she could have done more. I placed the morphers back into the safe, closing it and placing the fake wall over it.

Suddenly, I was dragged out of my thoughts when I saw the kids and Tyzon appear from the elevator. It looks like they succeeded in retrieving the Toru Diamond. They all seem pretty pleased with themselves. Tyzon handed me the diamond, it feels like such a relief, now that we have two jewels in our possession; but… it's almost bittersweet, Kimberly isn't here to celebrate with us. Tyzon even told us, it looks like he is doomed to remain in his monstrous form for the rest of his life. However, the Sentinel Knight appeared before us, startling Tyzon. The other rangers weren't surprised this time round. Tyzon asked Sentinel Knight if he could reverse Moltor's curse on him, but he said he doesn't have the power to do so, but we do. Following his instruction, Mack took the Toru Diamond, which shrunk itself down and Blackbeard's Pearl. He raised them towards Tyzon and we watched as the two jewels glowed, shimmering some sort of light over him. Within a few seconds, the curse Moltor placed upon Tyzon was reversed, revealing a blonde-haired man in his early twenties, with mercury coloured eyes; being that he is from Mercuria.

He was so glad to be returned to normal, practically hugging everyone and thanking the Sentinel Knight. Before the spirit vanished, he left some parting words for the team.

 _"I understand the five of you feel betrayed by your own mentor."_ They got stiff upon his direct mention of Kimberly. _"However, she has her reasons to keep her past hidden from you all. You must learn to forgive the young Eltarian, when the time comes, you will need her help; in your hour of need."_ In bright light, he vanished. Looks like the kids have a lot to ponder on. Then, it appears Mack wasn't done with surprises for Tyzon; he presented the Mercurian with his crystal, completely repaired. Tyzon looked relieved to see it fixed, as he placed it back into his bracelet. I attempted to convince him to join us, but he sadly declined and said he cannot help. All we could do was watch as he walked out, a potential ranger, gone. With Kimberly gone also, I feel this team is going to get weaker.

_ Ten Days Later… _

_ 12:20… _

_ Monday… _

_ 16th July 2006… _

Canon: _Post-Man of Mercury_

( _Scene: Sitting Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Ten days have passed since Tyzon has joined the team as the new Mercury Overdrive Ranger. He literally saved them in the nick of time, from their new pair of enemies: The Fear Cats. Their victory has been sort of… melancholy because of Dr. Hart's departure from the mansion. Every time they stepped foot into the base, they expected to see her congratulate them on a job well done or if something went wrong; she always had advice on hand, experience to share to make them not just better rangers, but better people too. They begun to miss the time they celebrate each victory with pizza and Tyzon was asking what pizza is. His new friends promised, once they get Dr. Hart back or convince her to, they'll make sure he tastes his first pizza slice.

Tyzon felt he was the blame for their mentor's leave, because he revealed his parents knew her's, thus revealing her Eltarian heritage. Learning such secret did seriously shackle the bond they shared with their mentor, they could not understand why she never opened up. Did she fear that they would treat her differently? They haven't treated Tyzon like he was anymore or less human than them. As the days went by, slowly they thought about looking for Dr. Hart to apologise to her for their reaction.

It seems as if they all realised that their duty as the Power Rangers meant nothing without their mentor to guide them. Even though she only morphed on two separate occasions, Dr. Hart did help one way or another. They never blame her for almost going out of control and nearly killing Miratrix. When Tyzon heard that tale, he asked if he could piss Dr. Hart off and then ' _sic_ ' her; he's still learning human slang words, on the Fear Cats. Let them see what it is like to fear. He has heard that she is an amazing fighter too, Will told him that their mentor beat him regardless if he was morphed or not. It didn't really surprise Tyzon, the Eltarians are fine warriors, even he feels the Mercurian Army couldn't match to them; Prince Trey of Triforia - the Gold Zeo Ranger even stated: even he would not put his army to war against the Eltarians. When he described the Eltarian Army to them, Rose called Eltar the ' _alien version of Ancient Rome_ '. Eltar's army were the finest in the galaxy, their discipline almost legendary, but the planet is not the conquering type and aided many planets; far and wide in their time of need. Tyzon really wanted to learn more about Aria's daughter, she actually intrigued him.

Then, apart from Andrew walking around, the mansion was unusually quiet. They wondered where Spencer, the old butler vanished off to. So far, with each and every victory they achieved, their enemies gone into a state of quietness again; which they are glad about. It gave them a much needed reprieve. At the moment, Andrew is alone, seeking the next clue for the location of the Blue Corona Jewel and without Dr. Hart to give him an extra hand, it is becoming slow work. Mack blames himself too, he was the one to tell her to leave. He didn't actually mean it, but the Pink Ranger took it to heart and actually left. Throughout the ten days, the kids searched every part of the city for their mentor, calling every single hotel in the city to see if she stayed there. William even went far to hacking into different security mainframes to find her. They all miss Dr. Hart and they want her back, active ranger or not.

_ 12:50… _

( _Scene: Hotel Indigo, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I sat in my hotel room, with a surprising visit from Spencer. I swear, that man has crazy tracking skills if he was able to find me with ease. Originally, I intended to find a cheap motel, instead, I ended up here; because I ran into the manager. He recognised me right off the bat and offered me an indefinite stay at a discount price; I knew it was a stunt to get more publicity for the hotel, but I couldn't be rude. Therefore, I accepted the offer. I was given a private suite, even though I said a standard one-bedroom was fine. The things people do when they run into a well known person, I didn't think my dissertation would put this much spotlight on me. I sort of know how Stephen Hawking feels now. Right now, Spencer and I were having another game of Chess, he managed to beat me on the last couple of rounds, but I was determined to win this game.

I examined the board, one of my Rooks were in a good position, can't be attacked; sitting comfortably in White Square A7, the other required two moves to checkmate the White King, it means though, diverting the Queen's attention to my last Bishop on Square C4. Thus, moving her from the place that Spencer could counterattack my second Rook, which is Black Square F6. Guess I don't have a choice and I pray Spencer does not see my plan. I reached out for my Black Bishop, moving it diagonally to Square D5, ending my turn. As I predicted, Spencer moved his Queen to attack, leaving his King completely vulnerable. With his turn over, I moved my Rook in an instant, placing it down on Square F8, smirking with pride at the elderly butler; who looked pretty astonished.

"Checkmate." I said, completely pinning his King down, unable to move anywhere or have his pieces counter mine. The Queen couldn't move since his own pieces blocked her movements. Finally! I actually beat Spencer at a game.

"Very well played Mrs. Oliver. I noticed you sacrificed your Bishop to get the win." He noted. I sat back into my seat, hearing the words Jason - my brother, said when I was having a rough time with PTSD.

"My brother said to me: ' _Loss is a choice made for you. Sacrifice is a choice you make_ '. I chose to sacrifice my Bishop.",

"I would very much like to meet your brother. He seems to be quite a knowledgable man. Such words a soldier can relate to." Spencer said wishfully, "You and I have seen a lot of loss in our lives.",

"Some I wish, I could have prevented." I decided to divert the conversation, because I really want to know why he is really here and judging by the look on my face, Spencer knew. "Why are you actually here, Spencer?" The butler sat up straight and looked at me.

"I'm here, because the kids miss you. They want you back Mrs. Oliver, Mack and them have been tearing the city apart searching for you." He revealed, making me sigh.

"I can't Spencer, I betrayed their trust because I couldn't open up to them. Now, they want me back? It took them ten days to realise that?" Spencer heard the near sourness in my voice.

"Mrs. Oliver, they're still young, it takes time for them to learn from their mistakes. Don't be too harsh on their judgment." He reasoned,

"They made their decision too late." I said to him, dangerously soft. "Please, leave. Leave me alone." Respecting my word, Spencer got after tidying up his Chess board and headed for the door.

"If you change your mind, you know where we are." He smiled. Just as he reached for the door, it was suddenly blasted open, throwing the old man back onto the floor and surprising me.

"SPENCER!" I yelled. I looked up, two figures stepping out from the smoking door. It was Kamdor and Miratrix. Before I even had time to morph, Kamdor leaped and I was knocked out cold.

_ 13:20… _

( _Scene: Outside Indigo Hotel, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The rangers all bolted out of the six-seater taxi, wearing their civilian clothes. They finally located their mentor after Will hacked into one last security frame and managed to get a ping. Dr. Hart was staying in the Indigo Hotel in Downtown San Angeles. Mack paid the taxi driver and told him to keep the change, which the driver was happy about. The kids bolted towards the entrance, only to see a crowd, news reporters, police and an ambulance. All the rangers had worried faces, attempting to push through the crowd to reach the front. With some effort, the six of them made it and out of the entrance, paramedics pulled out a gurney with someone lying on top of it and someone they knew well: it was Spencer and he's been wounded. The medical team loaded him onto the back of the ambulance, but Mack was quick to leave his friends' sides, though they didn't mind; Spencer is family to him. Mack revealed Spencer is the family butler of Hartford Mansion and asked to get on, the medics couldn't really argue. Shutting the doors, the ambulance drove off, sirens blaring off into the distance. Rose on the other hand, poked the guard in front of her and asked a question.

"Officer, what happened here?",

"Two people were attacked. One of the occupants was currently staying in this hotel." He said,

"Who was the occupant?" Questioned Tyzon,

"Manager said it was a Dr. Kimberly Hart-Oliver. We don't know the attackers or what their motives are, but we will find her." Returning to his duty, Rose turned back to the others, now worried. The five of them left the scene, looking for a quiet spot to contact Andrew. Rose pulled out her Overdrive Tracker and called Andrew. The archaeologist finally answered after a couple of seconds passed.

 _"What's wrong Rose?"_ ,

"Andrew, Dr. Hart has been taken. Do you think you can locate her?" She asked him,

 _"Two seconds now."_ Two seconds turned into a few minutes, they began to get fidgety, until Andrew's voice came through again. _"Signal is faint, but she's located in an abandoned steel factory north of the hotel. Be careful rangers."_ Now knowing their mentor's location, they proceeded to the factory, following the co-ordinates Andrew sent them. The kids prayed their mentor is unhurt, because they don't know which of their enemies have her; it's either Moltor or Fluious, Kamdor and Miratrix or the Fear Cats. Whoever of the bunch has her, they will pay and it won't be pretty.

_ 13:55… _

( _Scene: Abandoned Steel Factory, Industrial Estate, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I managed to regain consciousness after getting knocked out by Kamdor. Getting my sense together, I examined my surroundings, it appears to be a disused steel factory. Of all places to bring me and pretty cliché, it's not any worse than that illegal dumping site Trini and I closed down back in ninety-three. God, that seems long ago now. I knew I was shackled, so I attempted to loosen them first, using my Eltarian strength, but to no avail; no matter how hard I tried. It seems like the evil duo figured out my heritage, fuck! The metal that the shackles are made of can withstand the strength of Eltarians. Great, first time I encountered this type of metal was back on Earth-X. Rhea appeared beside me, so I told her to see if she can break the chains herself. Unfortunately, she wasn't in a better position either, I groaned out loud, leaning my head back.

"I hate my life." I said out loud,

"You're going to hate it even more, Eltarian." I looked to see Kamdor, beside him was Miratrix.

"You two ever considered dating? People will start asking questions." I snarked. They both approached me.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Miratrix growled, "Now that we have you, I'm sure you can help us find the other jewels." I laughed at her.

"Sorry love, but after the shit you did, it's a fool's end.",

"Maybe not you, but your friend inside perhaps." I froze, instantly knowing who he meant. It made tense and struggle in my seat. No! He doesn't understand how dangerous my alter ego is! Firebird doesn't give two shits about anyone. God and the Power knows what she could do with the power of the Corona Aurora, it's practically asking for Armageddon.

"Kamdor! You can't! Firebird doesn't care about anyone but herself! By the time she's released, she'll just murder you both." Kamdor raised his hand, attempting to enter my mind.

"It's a risk we'll take, unless ' _Firebird_ ' is willing to barter." Just as he was about to place his hand on my forehead, he was suddenly pushed away by a yellow streak. A yellow streak? It meant one thing. Behind Ronny, Rose, Will, Dax and Tyzon ran up beside her. They came to save to me? After everything that happened? Kamdor and Miratrix stood up, growling at the interference, only to get pushed down again when the roof collapsed on them. Who on Earth? The dust cleared, revealing Mack. They're all here! I couldn't help but smile at them. Way to make an entrance Red Ranger.

"You guys came for me?",

"We still want an explanation, but regardless, you are our mentor Dr. Hart." Mack said, "Now, let's get you out of those chains." Tyzon stepped in.

"Allow me, this metal was made resist Eltarian super strength." All of a sudden, Kamdor and Miratrix rose from the rubble, clearly pissed. You could see it on their faces and something tells me, it will take Tyzon a while to break the chains. "Um… buy me some time?" The kids got into their morphing stance, bringing out there Overdrive Trackers.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" In bright flashes of light the kids stood in there suits. As expected, Will went after Kamdor, aided by Mack, while the other three squared off with Miratrix. Eventually they got out enemies away from us. It allowed some sort of breather, as Tyzon worked on the chains. As he worked on them, I began some small talk.

"I noticed you look different, did the kids manage to reverse your monster form?",

"With the power of the two jewels, yes. They did." He replied, "My true intention was to actually find my fiancée's killers. The Fear Cats led me here, to Earth." I got the hint, Tyzon lost someone he cared about.

"I'm… I'm sorry about your fiancée. I understand how it feels to lose someone you love." I heard a chain drop, looks like he's making quick work of the metal. Last thing was the padlock that kept the chains around my wrists locked. I hope he knows how to pick locks. Then, we heard more voices, oh shit! Tyzon looked up, to see Moltor and his Lava Lizards.

"Well what do we have here? The traitor and the Eltarian. Two aliens from different planets, who would have thought." Moltor gave the signal to his foot soldiers to attack, but were blasted away. We all turned to see Andrew, Mack's father. What the hell is he doing here? Has this become a full scale rescue mission? I'm somewhat glad Tommy isn't aware of this, he'd be the last person they want to deal with. I saw Andrew was armed with a spare Overdrive Defender.

"Ty, help the others. I got this." Tyzon nodded, morphing into his suit. Mercury Ranger? It suits him well. Unsheathing his weapon that represented a metal detector, with a blade of the top of it, he charged, dealing with Moltor and his soldiers. Andrew turned his attention to me, picking up the lockpick he dropped and began to pick the padlock. After a few seconds, we both the distinct click, as the padlock opened, releasing me. I stood up, rubbing my wrists, thank god. However, it seems like Andrew wasn't finished with me. "Kim, the rangers need their mentor and they need you to help them." Fishing through his pocket, he pulled out a small silver box, handing it to me.

"What is it?",

"Open it." He said to me. I did, unlocking the clasps and I gasped in shock and surprise; inside was another morpher, an Overdrive Tracker, except, like Tyzon's, it is worn on the wrist. He made it for me, but can I go back on the battlefield? I vowed to never touch the Power again. I shook my head.

"Andrew, I can't. I vowed never again.",

"They need you Kimberly!" Andrew begged, "Not just in the base or to offer advice, but on the field too. They saw you fight, Spencer knows you want to be with them." What has that elderly butler been relaying to Andrew? I heard Rhea begging me to accept the morpher, she knows being inside the base, monitoring fights is not my place; being in the thick of the fight is. Although, what if my PTSD triggers? I'll be liability during the fights. My worries began to build, but Rhea told me I am stronger than I let myself believe. "Please Kim. Take it." I sighed, weighing my options. Am I really ready to become an active ranger again?

_ 15:00… _

( _Scene: Outside Abandoned Steel Factory, Industrial Estate, Downtown, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

All six rangers were thrown back after a combined blast from Kamdor, Miratrix and the surprise appearance of Moltor. They can count their lucky stars that Fluious and the Fear Cats haven't entered the fray either. They all began to wish they had extra firepower or more help. Moltor laughed at the state they are in, as they kept their weapons raised in an effort to stay strong. Thinking it was the end of them, their three enemies fired one last energy blast at them, to finish the Overdrive Rangers. Closing their eyes, they expected the blast to hit them, but it never came which surprised them all. When the dust settled, the figure standing in front of them became clear, it was Dr. Hart, wielding an Overdrive Defender in blade mode. She held her place, keeping a protective body language. The kids were a little nervous of Dr. Hart being here, what if she went berserk? That's the last thing they need. Mack couldn't even see if her eyes were doing the scary light show thing. Rose on the other hand, noticed something on her left wrist: a morpher, like Tyzon's.

"Oh my god!" She muttered. They all watched as Kim pointed her finger at Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix.

"You made a big mistake hurting my rangers." She growled, "Hurt them, you have to deal with their mentor." And she raised her left wrist, revealing her Overdrive Morpher. Moltor just laughed, unfazed by her threat.

"Aren't you getting a little old for this, Kimberly?",

"I maybe old, but I still got the moves." She smirked. Throwing her Overdrive Defender in the air; Kim activated her new Overdrive Morpher, following the same morphing sequence as Tyzon. "Overdrive Accelerate!" Kim's entire body lit up, none of them being sure what ranger colour she will be, but they all watched in awe. Once the light died down, Dr. Hart now stood in her new ranger suit and it certainly had some… interesting modifications. For one, unlike the six of them, Kimberly wore silver armour, protecting her chest and shoulders, like an Overdrive Shield. In the centre, was the Operation Overdrive symbol and wrapped around her arms, were arm bracers. Her helmet was like Tyzon's, with a single spike protruding from it. However, it's the colour that shocked them. Kim caught her Overdrive Defender and got in her ranger stance. "Overdrive Green Ranger!" This revelation, seeing the older ranger back in the spandex surprised them, almost thinking if they bit off more than they can chew. "Want to mess with me now?" She mockingly asked.

Moltor, not looking one bit intimidated, raised his sword and charged at the Green Ranger. Kim was being no overconfident slouch and did the same, their swords soon clashing with each other. It wasn't long for Kamdor and Miratrix to join the fight, Kimberly was keeping herself calm, making sure not lose control. She blocked and countered each of their attacks with dexterity, like she never stopped being a Power Ranger. Kim blocked an attack belonging to Miratrix, quickly kicked Moltor away and caught Kamdor's strike; using her strength, she threw the duo into the air, landing on top of Moltor. Feeling she had enough of them, the new Green Overdrive Ranger sheathed her Overdrive Defender and called forth the Drill Blaster, which surprised the rangers. They couldn't wield the blaster without the Defender Vest, does the Overdrive Shield act like the Defender Vest? Taking the weapon, Kim charged up the blaster and fired at the evil trio; sending them into the air and landed back to the ground, hard injured.

"Let this be a warning: hurt my rangers, I will hurt you." Taking her warning, the three of them teleported, to heal from their injuries received by the new Green Ranger. Banishing the Drill Blaster, the other six rangers ran up to their mentor, admiring her suit. Tyzon even joked why he didn't get armour like her. Still glad to have their mentor back, Mack called the SHARC to bring them all home.

_ 17:00… _

( _Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Everyone celebrated my return by ordering pizza, especially for Tyzon too, as he never experienced Earth food. By the time food came, he was surprised to see so much food, saying we'll never eat it all. His statement made us all laugh, as Will pointed to Ronny, describing as a human garbage disposal and she is proud of it. Spencer was discharged from hospital, he only has a few scrapes and bruises, but was told by the doctors to take it easy. However, we all know Spencer, he won't listen to the doctors, the old butler is too stubborn. Tyzon was going back for another slice of pizza that he is enjoying very much, saying humans have a good taste for food. Ronny was on her second large pepperoni pizza, I'm somewhat glad that Andrew pays, Tommy would be wondering where the money in my saving account is going. Oh my god! Speaking of Tommy, I'm wearing his first ranger colour! Should my friends hear about this, they'll never let it go! The jokes will be plenty. Zordon, please help me!

Mack and the others want to know my past, but they all agreed to save that for tomorrow, as I told them it's a long story, a very long story. For now, they are celebrating the fact they now have me as a new ranger. Spencer came in with glasses of lemonade and we each took one, Andrew and Spencer did too. Mack was first to propose a toast.

"Let's raise our glasses, as toast for the return of our mentor and our new Green Ranger." Tyzon didn't exactly understand what a toast meant, but followed through as we clinked our glasses together. "We are now stronger than ever. Seven of us in total!" Tyzon looked at Andrew, glaring almost.

"I'm still jealous that I didn't get cool armour like her." And we laughed as Andrew got a little flustered, as Tyzon's gave seethed with my playful jealousy.

"I'm sorry Ty, I'll be sure to file a complaint to the Morphing Grid." Suddenly, a thought came to me and it caused me to groan.

"What's up Hart?" Said Dax,

"I just realised, going through what clothes I have; I need to go shopping tomorrow." As I face palmed out of embarrassment.

"Why's that?" Rose added,

"I have a serious lack of green." My statement caused everyone to laugh again, Ronny almost choked on her food, as well as Tyzon. They know I am, or at this stage, was the Pink Ranger; with a new colour, means a different colour co-ordination. You were right father, once a ranger, always a ranger. I can imagine he's looking down at me, very happy and proud.

* * *

Next Time…

"We're going to be on TV!?" Dax exclaimed excitingly…

"So, we need to find Mjolnir. How hard can that be?" Ronny said to the rangers,

"Myths coming to life," Kim groaned, "I'm getting a headache that will rival Rita's."…

"Bad luck." Mack huffed, "How bad can things get?"…

"YOU LET THEM STEAL THE JEWEL!?" Kim screamed at Will, her eyes flashing red. William actually flinched, as the others cringed at their mentor's and Green Ranger's temper. "WHAT POINT OF ' _RETURN IMMEDIATELY_ ', DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?" 


	6. Myths and a Runaway Jewel (The Blue Corona Jewel)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers learn history and mythology are more intertwined than they think and for the first time in their service, a jewel slips their grasps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the two month hiatus. Writer's Block hit me really bad and I couldn't write anything! All I could do to try and relieve it was read other stories or not write at all and mental plan ahead. However, I thank you for your patience and once again, I am sorry. Writer's Block is a pain.
> 
> Next, I may have gotten carried away with It's Hammer Time, which takes up a considerable chunk. I decided to go more in depth, put more lore in and little more actual mythology than what the TV show did. Also, some of the little things I took from the game: God of War (2018) and I made a slight alteration that the Bifrost is not required, in actual mythology it is. You might have noticed too that I have cut some of the previous artefacts out, particularly the canon. It was a little dumb on Disney's part.
> 
> Regarding to the langauge that Hela and literally everyone speaks, it is really Old Norse, but the langauge is dead, bar the runes and the closest to that langauge is Icelandic. So… yeah.
> 
> Well, enough of my ranting. I hope the wait was worth it. Enjoy the chapter!

_"A myth... is a metaphor for a mystery beyond human comprehension._

_It is a comparison that helps us understand, by analogy, some aspect of our mysterious selves._

_A myth, in this way of thinking, is not an untruth but a way of reaching a profound truth."_

\- Christopher Volger

* * *

Chapter 6: Myths and a Runaway Jewel (The Blue Corona Jewel)

* * *

_ One Week Later… _

_ 13:00… _

_ Monday… _

_ 23rd July 2006… _

Canon: _Post-Behind The Scenes_

( _Scene: Shopping Mall, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I can count my lucky stars again that our enemies have been quiet. While Andrew is searching for the next clue of the Blue Corona Jewel's location, he insisted I treat myself by shopping for some new clothes. It also seems my return to the battlefield has put all our opponents, who fight themselves as much as they fight us, on the defence. No doubt after dispatching Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix with ease, with my new Green Overdrive Ranger Powers, they're having second thoughts about attacking so hastily. Not to mention, instead of fighting six rangers, seven really pushes the boat. For some reason, perhaps Spencer and Andrew are right, my place is in the thick of the fight; no doubt it is due to my time being a soldier. It's still difficult for me to get to grips with, me… the thought of leading all those I saw as friends into battle and then… being unable to bring them home… it's hard. The world, the universe is cruel, as it was cruel to me. Perhaps life is more like the philosophy of Yin and Yang - within light, there is darkness and within darkness, there is light. If I am honest, it is weird, having to think all about this, I was just so busy, carrying out my duties; everything was just all go-go! Once the war ended, when Aegis and I left Eltar for Earth, everything slowed down and it all hit me. I found myself more time to reflect on the past events and realising… how traumatising it all is and I buried it.

I strolled through another aisle, going through the clothes that were on the rails, primarily going for green now. Rhea kept pestering me that I'm going to be in for a lot of teasing and jokes, like I don't know that already! God and the Power give me strength. Wearing Tommy's first ranger colour is quite… nice, in a strange way, green isn't a bad colour. I pulled out a plain green t-shirt that would go with my jeans, so I took it. Hopefully, it'll be enough for a while, at the time being, Andrew is getting my Overdrive uniform sorted, so… it won't be long. However, I did notice Mack was a little on edge and I understood why; he felt his position as leader was threatened because I'm the mentor and now, I am suddenly on the team. Therefore, I took him to the side and told him that he is still leader, I will still be a mentor, but I will follow his orders. The situation was bit like Conor and Tommy. The parallels are such coincidences. Although… I hope this is my last service, I am getting tired of the ranger business and at this stage; all I want to do is settle down and have a normal life. No, not tired of it, I love being a ranger, I need down time, even if it means balancing help, if my assistance on my home planet is required and being with Tommy and my friends on Earth. I pray this is the last time that the Morphing Grid will ever need me. I just want it to give me a break, please? I am overdue one. Feeling I have enough clothes, I decided to make my way to the checkout to pay for the clothes. Walking there, I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard someone call out my name.

"Kimberly!?" I turned around to see Tanya. I cracked a smile. What is she doing here in San Angeles!? Tanya jogged over to me, locking me in a tight hug, which I returned.

"Tanya! What are you doing here?" I asked her,

"Adam has the weekend off. So we decided to take Jade out of Angel Grove." I raised an eyebrow at her answer.

"And you picked San Angeles because?" The Yellow Zeo Ranger's straight face fell, knowing I read right through her.

"He… also wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything stupid." She said. Stupid? Seriously Froggy Boy? Tanya wasn't finished. "Like puting yourself in a coma or getting frozen in amber!" I cringed, looks like Adam filled her in on that event. Oh right! She couldn't help because none of the other rangers wanted to risk the baby getting hurt or worse. Tanya was pregnant at the time.

"Here, Tanya. Let me buy my stuff and we'll have coffee." I suggested, "Sound good?",

"Sure." She agreed, nodding her head. Walking off, I noticed Jade wasn't with her, so she must be with Adam. Poor guy, not like I feel sorry for him and that thought made Rhea chuckle.

_ Fifteen Minutes Later… _

_ 13:15… _

( _Scene: Starbucks, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

After purchasing my clothes, I brought Tanya over to Starbucks. I asked her about Adam, she said that he's at the park with Jade, that's adorable. There's nothing better than a father having time with his daughter. Meanwhile, myself and the Yellow Ranger argued about paying for the tea, staff nearly kicked us out if we didn't stop or come to a resolution. I caved, Tanya won the argument, paying for not just my tea, her's too. Next time Tanya, I'm paying. Shortly, the two of us began catching up, I told her to message Tommy on my behalf, apologising that I didn't contact him; I was just really busy. At this stage, I'm sure all the rangers that I am close to, are aware of my excursion and my involvement with the Overdrive Rangers. Though… they don't know I'm back in the spandex again and that's the last thing they need to know. Good thing Tanya didn't see all the green clothes I got. The two of us actually found a quiet spot in the café, so that we can talk about ranger business without raising suspicions. I filled her in about the kids, yeah… I know they're not kids, but I can't help calling them that. After everything that occurred, our bonds are stronger than ever. Tyzon and I are getting on like a house on fire, he constantly asks me about Eltar, while I do the same. I really like know what Mercuria is. The others think it's really cute that two aliens from different planets are learning about each other. Also… we discuss about foreign affairs and maybe get our planets to form a mutual relationship like Eltar has with KO-35, Triforia, Aquitar, Inquirius, Mirinoi and others. Too many for me to mentally and verbally list. Isn't politics fun?

Meanwhile, Tanya filled me in on the others. She's still waiting for my cousin to pop the question, while they maybe married, they're married on the basis of Eltar's laws, not Earth's. When myself, Tommy and the others came with us to Eltar, not only the two of us married under Eltar's ceremony; Aegis and Cassie did too. Neither couldn't wait, I don't blame them. Tanya spoke to Ashely and even she is getting frustrated with Aegis. I won't be surprised if those two are plotting, with help from some of the other rangers. Aegis will be in for a world of annoyance and pain. I am not sorry for him. I have been waiting for him to get down on one knee and ask her. Tommy ended up proposing to me twice, once while stuck on Earth-X; he wanted to me to answer, so we would know if neither of us made it out alive, we died knowing we loved each other. It's kind of poetic, huh? The second proposal was the day after we returned and recovered from Earth-X, Handsome went to get the ring he bought and asked me again, in front of everyone. Trini almost fainted at the sight, but everyone was glad we both finally tied the knot. Everyone expected Tommy and I to be the first married couple, either at the end of high school or in the middle of college, unfortunately fate had other plans, I sent the letter; you get the idea. Anyways, I filled Tanya in on everything, from recovering the Corona Aurora, lost it to one of our enemies, recruiting the rangers all the way up to adding our sixth member and having two jewels in our possession already. This is still leaving out the fact I'm the new Overdrive Green Ranger. I wonder how long I can keep this quiet until the press run their headlines? Then I'll be in for the bombardment.

"So, Kim," Said Tanya, breaking me out of my long running thoughts. "How's… is your… I mean… is your PTSD not hindering you in any way?",

"Well… it did come back for a while. The nightmares, flashbacks. Because of it, I nearly hurt the kids and on top of that… Firebird fights me for control." That was when she gave me a look of worry. Damn it! I shouldn't have mentioned Firebird.

"And you didn't tell Tommy!?" Tanya hissed,

"I may have had a few close calls, but I managed to push her down thanks to Rhea.",

"That's a relief, but please Kim, don't hide something like that." She comforted, "We barely survived the attack when she was released second time round." And she will bring Hell if given the chance to take over me again. Without giving her any warning, I stood up quickly, my chair falling and I slammed my fist.

"And you don't think it's any easier on me!?" I snarled, glaring at Tanya, as she watched my eyes flash. She stayed quiet, unable to reply to my response. With no more to say, I grabbed my belongings and stormed out of the café, ignoring the people who were staring at the commotion.

_ 13:40… _

( _Scene: Park, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I found a free bench in the more quieter parts of the park. I won't be surprised if Tanya contacted Adam to look for me if he's still around. What's going on with me? A part of me felt I should not have snapped at her, it was out of character for me. I feel though… Tanya shouldn't have said that stuff. I think she forgot that the attack on Reefside was hard on me too, Firebird made me watch the destruction she caused, the innocents she killed. I watched as she seriously injured the kids, dislocating Conor's shoulder, broke and cracked Kira's ribs, Ethan's leg was broken in two places and Trent was unconscious for three days. Reefside is still recovering, it was a vicious attack, Angel Grove got it slightly easier with Tommy as the Green Ranger and when he used his Dragonzord. It's all Maligore's fault, maybe none of this would have happened if I did not run into Jason. It's tiring to keep an alter ego in check, Firebird wants nothing but to end the entire world or rule it; referring to Earth-X. Maybe Firebird of that Earth was correct, we aren't so different, perhaps the scenario will happen, only at a later point in the timeline and we are just delaying the inevitable. Maligore could be right as well, Firebird is who I really am, my name is just a shell.

I looked at my new morpher, that sat on my wrist. It's exactly like Tyzon's and has the same features as the Overdrive Trackers. If Firebird took over me, it would be disastrous. She would not only have her Crimson Powers, but the Overdrive Powers too. Would she be capable of merging them? I should contact my aunt to see if she can purify my Thunderzord Spirit, if she refuses to literally remove Firebird. Also, add apologising to Tanya for snapping at her to my list. For some reason, my temper flares a lot more easily than usual, it not like me and when I come back for more sessions with Dana, I'll tell her that too. Seven years since the war and it's still fresh in my mind. It might be a long time before I get over _Countdown To Destruction_. Getting up from my seat, surely a walk around the park will help clear my mind and is not going to kill me. Unfortunately, I hardly made one step, before hearing an explosion, causing me to twirl around and seeing the smoke. People around the public park weren't sure how to react. So much for peace and quiet. Damn it! Tanya, Adam, Jade! I sensed my eyes were flashing again and I ran full speed, towards the area that is being attacked. May the Power protect me.

_ Same Time… _

( _Scene: Battlefield, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Tanya's POV_ )

By the time Adam found me, strolling our one and a half year old Jade in her buggy, I didn't even get to tell him what happened when an explosion suddenly went off! Some debris flew around, making Adam shield both myself and our child, but the debris didn't hit him. I saw a faint black shield and Kek, Adam's Animal Spirit, floating in front of us. Once the debris stopped raining on us, Kek lowered the shield, with my husband thanking him. That was when we saw the attackers, a bunch of… what looks like ice foot soldiers, along with some guy; dressed like a wanna-be Ice King, with a matching staff. People were running at the sight, Adam had a look on him, I knew he wanted to morph, he primarily likes using his Ninjetti Powers compared to the Zeo and I have my Zeoniser on me just in case too. Adam grabbed my arm, saying:

"Honey, take Jade and go! I'll hold them off!",

"Alone!? Don't be playing fucking hero on me Froggy Boy!" I hissed. Luck seems to be on our side, as six coloured rangers appeared before us! All the five primary ranger colours of the originals and then you have a… Silver Ranger? Kim, you are mentoring an interesting team. The Pink Ranger looked at us both.

"Are two alright? What about your child?" That definitely does not sound like Kim, so she's not back in pink. Kim did tell me she's mentoring.

"We're all fine." I said. The Red Ranger ordered us to run and hide, so we had to do what he said. Adam, Jade and I took cover, but somewhere we could see the fight unfurl. The new rangers are holding themselves well, looks like Kim kicked their asses into gear in their early days. I'd shiver at the thought of her training methods, heard from her cousin that she was much more stricter than her own mom! And that was her time as a Lieutenant on Eltar! What a scary thought. Adam and I watched as the new rangers unsheathed their primary weapons; a double-bladed lance, a hammer, a pair of… shovel claws? A metal detector with a blade, then the Blue and Pink Rangers are using some sort of long-range weapons. Most of these almost resemble… excavation tools, very unique. I watched as the Red Ranger went for Ice King, while the others dealt with the foot soldiers. I have to say, Ice King is a proficient fighter, that was when the most unexpected thing happened! Mine and Adam's jaw dropped when a seventh ranger appeared. Specifically, a Green Ranger! This ranger was wielding a side arm and the outfit was similar to the Silver Ranger, only with the extra armour. Much to my dismay, I couldn't hear their voices over the fighting and the lasers being fired.

The Green Ranger aided the red with Ice King, that fighting style though… is that Tommy!? I swear to god! Six times a ranger now? That boy can't take a break, no doubt Kim already had a few words with him, as she's the mentor of this team. I thought Tommy was in Reefside, did he leave with Kim? For this? Anyways, I highly doubt Kim is here on the battlefield. Tuning back in, the battle went on, Ice King's foot soldiers were decimated and it was now seven to one. I saw the Green Ranger unsheathe a weapon, almost similar to Andros' Spiral Blaster. He took aim, charging up the weapon and fired, the shot staying true to its target. Ice King flew back, landing on the ground hard, now injured, he retreated. Ouch, I almost felt that; that blaster has a kick, a lot of power and recoil. I glared at the Green Ranger, still firmly believing it's Tommy underneath the helmet. Who else would wear green!? Leaving my hiding spot, with Adam, carrying our daughter Jade behind me; I stormed towards the Green Ranger. The Silver Ranger pointed to the ' _civilians_ ' approaching them, he stepped in front of me, but I simply pushed him away, causing him to stumble into the Black Ranger. Civilians my ass. The Green Ranger raised his hands, trying to keep away, the other rangers did not dare to come close. Before Tommy could count to five, I reached for the helmet, unclasping it and ripped it off saying to him:

"Tommy Oliver! You are in so much…" I stopped mid-sentence and looked. It wasn't Tommy under the helmet, he's not the Green Ranger, that means he is still in Reefside. In front of me, was Kimberly ' _Kara_ ' Hart, giving me her signature ' _please don't be mad at me_ ' smile. Kim sort of developed that after all the excursions she's been through and uses it to lessen our worry. Sadly for her, it hardly works. Next, she and all the other rangers powered down, her helmet vanishing from my grasp. I stared at the other rangers, before turning back to Miss I-Promise-To-Only-Be-A-Mentor. I was pretty pissed since that promise went down the swanny. "KIMBERLY HART! You are in so much trouble!",

"Says the one who called me Tommy." She quipped and with that, I growled and smacked her upside the head; the same way Aisha did when they got sent to Earth-X. Kim flinched at that sudden attack, as the other rangers, she's supposed to mentor, cringe.

"Green Kim! Of all colours, green!?" I shrieked,

"Looks like our Little Crane grew out of pink." Adam chuckled, after recovering from the surprise. His face quickly dropped when both myself and Kim shot a look at him. Adam, you better hold your tongue if you don't want to end up on the couch tonight, with the black frog plushy you bought for Jade! That was when Kim nervously raised her voice, which is unusual for a strong and high spoken Lieutenant.

"Let's take this back to Andrew's mansion. What do you think kids?" She turned back to them, trying to give her best not-so scared smile. Sometimes, Kim shows a little fear towards Yellow Rangers; particularly towards Trini and Aisha. Apart from Tommy, they can actually keep her in check, like Jason keeps Tommy in check. Who knew Tommy and Kim could make a crazy, but dangerous couple, being soulmates, both having alter egos! I'm amazed that the world hasn't exploded, after the whole incident with Earth-X, there could be an Earth where both Kim and Tommy are ruling dictators. That thought is even scarier. Snapping out my thoughts, I saw the other rangers shake their heads in agreement, therefore, they lead us to the jeeps they used. Kids, huh? So Kim sees them the same way she saw the former Dino Thunder Rangers, that is actually adorable. However, I'm still mad at you Kim, just wait till the others find out!

_ Thirty Minutes Later… _

_ 14:10… _

( _Scene: Living Room, Hartford's Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Spencer entered with a tray of lemonade for myself, Tanya and Adam. Andrew decided it was best he stayed out of the conversation with my two friends and then the kids moved to the other room to play and dote on little Jade. The main reason I can see, is they don't want to be there when a Yellow Ranger explodes. Rhea appeared, taking her place next to Kek, those two were having their own private conversation. Spencer set the drinks on the table, ignoring my pleading looks to not leave me alone in the room; instead, he gives me a playful grin and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Traitors, the whole lot of them. Hopefully, I will leave this room alive, along with the fact the former Black/Green and Yellow Rangers will keep my ' _back in spandex_ ' quiet. I do know the others will find out eventually in their own way. God help me when the teasing comes, so I'll be getting an earful of Indiana Jones and _Tomb Raider_ jokes, on top of the ranger colour jokes. My poor husband will be teased too and I won't be sorry for him. I can imagine my brother Jason saying that I'm rubbing off Tommy too much. I kind of wish I was on Eltar instead, breaking in the ' _fresh meat_ ' - AKA: new recruits, maybe starting brawls at the inn, along with getting slightly drunk on Eltarian mead. Before I can explain my position to the couple, Tanya went off, Yellow Ranger style.

"What happened to just being a mentor, Kim!?" She half shouted, really, she raised her voice at me. "You even told your husband that you will not touch the Power again!",

"It went down the drain, like Tommy." I said meekly, "And as for that… blame the Morphing Grid. It wasn't finished with me."

"Now, you're wearing his first ranger colour." Adam laughed, "First pink and now green. All we need to tick off is white, red and black.",

"ADAM!" I growled, eyes flashing and all. Both Tanya and I watched with satisfaction as Adam sank into his seat. "Ironically, I… kind of enjoy being in the thick of the fight." I heard Tanya sigh.

"You're a soldier through and through." She stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking again. "Don't worry Kim, we'll keep your active duty secret, but the others will find out.",

"Thank you." I said gratefully, "Relax, I'll deal with the onslaught when it comes.",

"That, I can't wait for." Tanya said gleefully. We all stopped to take a sip of our lemonade Spencer, the former Commander during the Vietnam War, left us. "I certainly won't be able to help you when your dearly beloved, brother and the Devil's Trio come at you." I sat back into my seat, huffing in annoyance, making Adam chuckle.

"I hate you sometimes. If I die by those girls, know that I'll be haunting your ass, Sloan." I joked, in a playfully serious manner.

"Touché, Hart." Chuckled Tanya, as she took another sip of her drink. Thank the Lord, since Fluious got his ass kicked, he won't be attacking again until he recovered. Also, Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix won't jump the gun either and we like to keep it that as well. "Oh! Can I please see your morpher?" Lightly laughing, I unclasped my a Overdrive Morpher and handed it to Tanya, which she took and gently, not wanting to damage it. Adam leaned over to get a better look as she examined it.

"Morphinominal!" Adam said in awe, as the Yellow Zeo Ranger admired it, clearly loving the design. I have to say, wrist worn morphers are much better than the Power Coins. It was… kind of a pain to keep them stuffed in your pockets or hidden in your bag, where there could be a chance that they will be stolen, take me for example. Tommy never wants to go through another scenario like that again and neither do I. Aegis even feels my pain about having powers attached to your life force, it really isn't fun. Tanya handed back my morpher and as I strapped it back to my wrist, I hear a muffled voice behind the door, before either of us counted to three; I see Andrew barging in with a smile on his face. What's he… or what's made him so happy?

"Kimberly! I finally found the next clue to find the Blue Corona Jewel!" He exclaimed and that made me jump.

"Really!? What is it?" Tanya and Adam stayed quiet, silently enjoying watching a historian and an archaeologist interact with excited grandeur. Adam was actually trying to muffle his laugh, knowing well in advance that the two of us are going to go on a history rant.

"Somehow and some time, the jewel has made a place in Norse Mythology and it's pointing to the fact, we need to recover Thor's hammer." He explained, which caused me to give him a confused look. How has that jewel become intwined in a time and rule of the Norse Gods? Oh man! I sense a headache coming, it might rival Rita's; history and mythology are more connected than I thought.

"We… and the rangers… we have to find Mjölnir. It was wielded by Thor, the Nordic God of Thunder, one of the sons of the Allfather - Odin. How do we find this hammer? There's no way it can be here." I said. Then, I saw Adam and Tanya get up from their seats, they knew it was time for me to get back to work. The two former rangers gave me a hug, the other Overdrive Rangers entered with their daughter and said their goodbyes to them. Adam, Tanya and Jade left, telling me to stay out of trouble and that my secret is safe with them. Hopefully. With those three gone, I gave everyone the gesture to head down to the base, so Andrew and I could fill everyone in what is going on and how we are going to locate the the third jewel of the Corona Aurora.

_ 14:50… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Once we got everyone gathered around our headquarters, Andrew explained everything about the clue, how Norse Mythology is linked to all this and how the jewel entangled with all of this. Rose was fascinated, because she didn't think that even Norse mythology is real too, we already experienced Roman Mythology with Atlantis; although… there are Greek texts mentioning Atlantis too, so… it is complicated. Rose began to ramble about Thor's hammer.

"So we're going to find Mjölnir!? The weapon Thor himself wielded!?" Or wields, if he actually exists. Her friends were trying to hide their chuckles, while Tyzon was just downright lost or confused. Looks like I'll have to teach him a thing or two about history and mythology. I decided to give them a short lecture on Mjölnir's creation.

"For those who are unfamiliar with the mythology of Mjölnir, this is how it was created. I should warn you: it's not exactly pretty. I'm putting it bluntly, the Gods were assholes to each other as much as any other God in numerous mythologies. You guys might as well get comfortable." With that, Andrew, Will and Mack helped Spencer get some fold-up chairs for everyone, along with myself. Thank god the base is large enough, we were able to make a small circle and the kids got comfortable, actually looking forward to a bit of storytelling. "Alright… so… this is how the creation of Mjölnir began. The Norse God of Mischief: Loki, he's also a bit of an asshole; was in a mood to play a few games. The unfortunate target of this mischievousness was Sif, Thor's wife; he cut off her hair. As soon as Thor found out, he was obviously pissed and threatened to break every bone in Loki's body.",

"You weren't kidding the Gods fight among themselves, when they're not doing useful things." Voiced Tyzon and the others hummed in agreement. I really wasn't joking with my words, if they are real, I'm probably insulting them. I got back to the myth.

"That was when Loki pleaded to Thor to let him go down to Nidavellir, or better known as Svartalfheim; one of the Nine Realms that is connected as a branch to the World Tree: Yggdrasil. It was the home of the Dwarven race, living underground. He convinced the Thunder God that he could get the craftspeople to forge a head of hair more beautiful than Sif's original. Thor let him go. Loki's services was accepted by Ivaldi's sons, whose names are unknown, unless you read the Old Norse myths, which I will not go into. Being master craftsman and the forge, they created more than just a new lock of hair for Thor's wife; they also forged Skidbladnir, one of the best ships in all of the realms, it was able to capture the most favourable winds and seemingly can be folded up." Then Dax interrupted me.

"What a load of bullshit! A ship that can be folded up? That is bonkers.",

"That's why it is a myth, Dax." Rose reasoned, "Carry on, Dr. Hart." I smiled a little, thanking Rose to keep Dax quiet. I continued the story again.

"The second creation was Gungnir, the deadliest spear known in Nordic mythology. Once the tasks were completed, Loki wanted to remain a little longer and decided to be a little shit again. He approached the brothers: Brokkr and Sindri, not the sons of Invaldi and challenged they would not be able to best the three creations; however, if they succeeded, they could have his head.",

"Oh Lord!" Ronny gagged, "That was the not-so pretty part, was it?",

"Wait till the end." I laughed nervously. Back again once more. "With the bet made, the brothers got to work and unknowingly, Loki decided to cheat by disguising himself as a fly. He first went to Sindri and stung his hand, it caused the Dwarf to pull his hand from the fire and along with it, was a boar, alive with golden hair. It was said the boar could give off light in the dark and run better than any horse, be it land, sea and air. Sindri's first creation was named Gullinbursti.",

"Wow, Loki really was an asshole." Said Mack,

"With all due respect, Dr. Hart." Tyzon said to me, "But what has all this got to do with Mjölnir's creation?",

"I'm getting there Ty, please bear with him." I answered. I returned to the story once again. "Sindri prepared another piece of gold as Brokkr worked the bellows. Loki came around again, as the fly and stung the Dwarf's neck, which made Sindri pull out a golden ring called Draupnir. According to the myth, it is believed on every ninth night, eight more gold rings of equal weight fell. Now, we finally come to the creation of Mjölnir. Sindri was adamant to his brother to be extra meticulous because the final error could be more fatal than the last two. With that, they got to work once more, but Loki intervened and stung Brokkr again, this time in the eyelid. The blood in the Dwarf's eye prevented him from seeing his craft, he still managed to pull through with Sindri and together, they created the hammer: Mjölnir which means lightening in Norse. To cut the story short, the Dwarven brothers traveled to Asgard, another realm where the Gods and Valkyries lived and presented them their craft; because Loki lost the bet, the brothers could have his head. To their dismay, there was a loophole; you know how in Shakespeare's comedy: _The Mechant of Venice_ , the antagonist wanted to cut a pound of the protagonist's flesh from his breast, if he could not pay off his debt? But was prevented from doing so, because he did not mention anything about blood and it had to be exactly a pound, no more or less?" The kids nodded their heads, most likely vaguely remembering the play from their English classes as teenagers. "Well, that was a similar case. Loki told the brothers they could have his head, but that didn't include his neck and you know how improbable it is, to cut someone's head off without taking a part of their neck too.",

"I have to give credit to Loki, Kim, an asshole he was, but he's got smarts. I give a point to him." Andrew pointed.

"That's not the best of it." I smirked, "The brothers knew Loki was right, so instead of taking his head, the were content in sewing his mouth shut." I finished and all I could see was the mortified faces of the kids and were still frozen. I quickly whipped out my phone and snapped the picture, sending it to my husband with the caption: ' _Story Time With The Kids_ '. By the time they processed what I have done, the picture was already sent, much to their mortification and dignity. Tommy was quick to get back to me, saying he was laughing his head off, along with my brother Jason and his wife Trini, who were keeping him company. They were asking what story I told them, that had them react like that. I texted back saying it was ' _not a child-friendly fairytale_ ' and that I'll ' _get back_ ' to Tommy later. I looked back as the kids glared at me for taking the photo. Well, I told them it wasn't pleasant, I guess they're thinking they would rather have Loki's head severed than his mouth sewed shut. Without warning, another voice was heard.

"My my, aren't you a proficient storyteller." I turned three-sixty to see an unexpected sight. It was a head, a floating head. I looked back at the others, Dax ran off to the corner, finding a randomly placed bucket and retched into it. Everyone was trying to comprehend what they were seeing. I think the story got to him. "While I maybe The Rememberer, you certainly know our history, young scholar." The Rememberer, the name rings a bell. Where did I come across it? Wait a minute… it all came to me. Is that who I think it is!?

"You're Mímir! Odin's advisor. Hold on, you're usually attached to Odin at the hip, how are you here?" I asked the… floating head. I thought seeing my father as a floating head in an energy tube was enough for me. The others, Spencer and Andrew included, were still trying to process this, even I was too, but someone needed to talk.

"Why yes, lass. I usually am, but thanks to some Vanir magic, Freya was being somewhat courteous, despite the events of the Aesir-Vanir War; with Odin's permission, she casted a spell that allowed me to float and move around. Honestly, I hated being carried around like a decoration on Odin's hip. The Allfather hardly showers and reeks. As for why I'm here? I came seeking you guys out, I know you seek Mjölnir." My eyes lit up, this is going to make our job so much easier!

"You know where the hammer is?" I questioned,

"Of course I do, lass! You have to ask Thor for it." Our face fell. Ask Thor? How? "And how I got here, it's what you call inter dimensional travel. Though I had to hop from Asgard to Midgard and got here." Well… that's understandable, Midgard is technically Earth, but not in the way we know it. "You see, we live side by side, but we are not interfered by each other. Midgard is actually Earth and with the existence of the Multiverse, it is called Earth-10 and rests as a part of the World Tree Yggradsil. I can take you guys there, but I can only take three, the rest must stay behind." Mímir unfortunately revealed. I sighed, looking at the others, who will go and who is willing to stay? Andrew stepped forward.

"Kim, you go with Mímir, take Mack and Rose with you. Will, Ronny, Dax and Tyzon will remain here. I'll be backup mentor until you return.",

"But you'll be outnumbered!" I argued,

"We'll be fine, Dr. Hart." Tyzon smiled, "Just ask Thor nicely if we could borrow his hammer.",

"If you have to, go all Kratos on him!" Dax joked. We all groaned, I knew he was referring to Santa Monica Studio's two-thousand-and-five hack and slash, Greek Mythology game.

"No Dax! I will not go around slaying Gods!",

"I must agree with your teacher." Said Mímir, "I ill advise the idea of killing Thor. You do not want to upset the Allfather. You could have… Dr. Hart sent to Helheim for such a crime!",

"It was a joke." The Blue Ranger muttered and I patted his back, telling him to keep the jokes to himself. I quickly left the gang for a moment to change into my official Overdrive uniform that Andrew got made for me. I actually love it, it fitted well, did not feel tight in any shape or form and he picked a nice shade of green; it is the same shade of green like Tommy's original ranger suit. Myself, Mack and Will checked our morphers were in working condition, but I warned them we might not be able to morph in the Nine Realms. Andrew decided to give us some backup gear, handing us spare side-arms: the Overdrive Defenders and the three of us accepted them, holstering them to our hips. Mack and Rose took heed to my warning, I gave Mímir the nod to transport us.

"Oh this is exciting! I've never taken humans of this world to Midgard and that is where we will be going. Don't worry about Ragnarök, that won't happen for another ten thousand Winters." Said Mímir and with pure excitement. I felt my stomach churn, I would not want to be thrown into that. The time when Jörmungandr, one of three siblings and is son of Loki, stirs from its slumber, setting of the event Ragnarök - the end times, the twilight of the Gods. We stood around Mímir and he began to cite a spell? I think in what sounds like Norse or Old Norse. Suddenly, our vision was blinded by white light and I felt us transporting.

_ Morning (Midgard/Earth-10 Time)… _

_ Afternoon (Earth-1 Time)… _

Canon: _It's Hammer Time_

( _Scene: Outside Village, Midgard, Fourth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

In a flash of light, Mack and Rose landed on their feet, while Mímir… well… Mímir remained floating, he has no body. As for me, I landed face first into the ground, making me groan. This is exactly how my own friends and I landed when we got sent to Earth-X! That was last freaking year! I don't think I'll ever get used to travelling between two Earths. I felt Mack and Rose help me onto my feet, while laughing lightly, I then brushed the dirt off my suit. I don't know if it was a good idea to wear these clothes, we all look out of place, especially with the technology we are carrying. I hope the other rangers are alright. I did tell Andrew if he has to, call the previous rangers as reinforcements, but that's a last resort. Mímir broke my train of thought.

"Come now, humans. We need to make our way to the Lake of Nine." He said. The Lake of Nine? Why is it called that? "There's a fishing village not far from here and they so happen to face the lake. We just need a boat.",

"If you say so." I replied. With that, we began to make the trek to the village. As we walked, I took in the breathtaking sight of the woods, so beautiful and yet untouched. A part of me wishes to stay in Midgard a little longer and explore, but we can't, we are here to see Thor and ask if we could use his hammer. Hopefully, he might be a little hospitable. I hope I don't mean what I said about the Gods being assholes. After another hour of walking, the village finally came into view, but Mímir stopped and so did we, seeing plumes of smoke coming from the village we were going to. Something is wrong and Rhea didn't like it either. The smoke meant one thing from my experience: the village is under attack. Mack and Rose ran down to the village without a second thought, I followed suit, with Mímir yelling:

"WAIT! It's too dangerous! Oh bollocks!" We reached the village, our jaws just dropped. It certainly was attacked, attacked by… walking corpses? Mack and Rose did not know how to comprehend this either. This is no George R. Romero's _Living Dead Trilogy_ , this is worse. It's a massacre. "Draugr." Mímir told us, "Poor souls denied entry into Helheim, because they have unfinished business or some idiot families did not bury them properly.",

"They're slaughtering the village." I muttered. Unsheathing my Overdrive Defender in blade mode, I picked up a fallen shield and charged towards a Draugr about to kill a mother and her baby. I slammed the shield into the rotting corpse, sending it tumbling away. Mímir came to my side. "Tell the mother to take her child and get out of here!" I don't know if the people of Midgard speak English, The Rememberer spoke to her in a language I don't understand. It is Norse alright. Shortly, the mother sounded like she was thanking me, stood up and ran. The Draugr I rammed stood back up, wielding its own sword and charged at me. It smacked the sword against my shield, which I countered, getting a clean slash onto the creature, making it bleed. With it weakened, I stabbed my weapon into the torn tissue, making the undead cry out in pain. I drove my sword deeper, assuming I hit its heart, which I think it did; the Draugr screamed one last time, before flaring up and turning into… ash? I turned my attention back to Mack and Rose and they seem to be holding themselves well. Soon enough, the Draugr began making a retreat, a portal opened and the remaining corpses ran back into it.

"They're getting away!" Mack cried, about to run after them. I grabbed Mack by the collar and shook my head, he got the message. We watched as the portal closed. I then dumped the shield, not needing it. Mack looked at Mímir. "Where does that portal go to?",

"It's not just a portal, it's a Realm Gate. An area of realms between realms. While I have seen it used for Midgard, but never between… the actual realms. That could only be done in the Realm Travel Room!" Explained Mímir,

"But where does it go?" Rose asked for clarification,

"Forgive me. The portal goes to Helheim, the Realm of the Dead.",

"I thought Valhalla was the Realm of the Dead." Mack mused,

"Oh no, boy! Valhalla is in Asgard and for those who died in honourable combat. Helheim is for the worst of the worst. Enough talk, we must make haste." Just as we were heading to the docks, there was suddenly a clap of thunder and the blue skies darkened, so much even the sun became blocked out. We all looked up, the clouds forming an indistinguishable face, but the eyes were glowing. What the hell!? Is that some kind of spirit? I felt Rhea was beginning to get uncomfortable, the aura was dark, it felt like… death? Then, an incomprehensible voice boomed and in Norse, Mímir will have to translate.

 _"Þú gerðir alvarleg mistök að trufla menn! (You made a grave mistake interfering, humans!)"_ With those words, the voice was gone and the sky cleared. Myself, Mack and Rose looked back at Mímir for a translation.

"Um… the Goddess of the Dead just threatened you three.",

"Hela threatened us!?" I exclaimed, not liking the idea of being directly threatened by a Goddess and who is daughter of Loki himself. His other two children are the World Serpent and Fenrir. I'm beginning suspicious about all this. "Mímir! Is there another reason, to why you brought us here?",

"Well… I… uh…" He stuttered. Rose was losing her patience.

"Spit it out, Mímir!",

"Alright, alright! A few sunrises ago, Thor vanished, along with his hammer. Sif, his wife grew worried since he did not return to Asgard. She went to her father-in-law, Odin for counsel. He told her to wait, but Thor had not returned, he confronted Loki, but he refused to speak." Mímir told us all. This is bad, really bad, if Thor is missing; who knows where the freaking hammer is! "Odin knew he needed extra help, he went through all of the existing Earths, bar Earth-X, Earth-X2 and well… all of the bad, terrible Earths that would make Helheim a luxury!" Mack crossed his arms and he filled in the gaps.

"So, he found our Earth and sent you to us.",

"The Allfather specifically wanted to meet you as well, daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar." I went completely stiff… Odin knows my father!? How? When? Since when did father travel between Earths and when in God's name, did he travel to Midgard? "Hurry now, to the Lake of Nine. I hope you are a strong rower."

_ Next Day… _

_ 10:35… _

_ Tuesday… _

_ 24th July 2006… _

( _Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth-1_ / _No POV_ )

Andrew was pacing in his office with the four remaining rangers, their mentor, his son and Rose have already been gone for a full day and it doesn't look like there's a sign of them. It appears time here moves differently compared to Midgard and that doesn't really help his nerves, the last thing he needs is Tommy Oliver knocking on his door, demanding where his wife is. What's he going to tell him? A floating head appeared out of nowhere and brought Kim and two of the rangers with him to Midgard; also known as Earth-10? He thinks Tommy will assume he lost his mind and the quest for the jewels of the Corona Aurora is already heading into crazy territory. Well knowing Kim and the other Ninjetti are connected via mystical tethers, that's already a pain in the ass, unless Kim silently cut her connection to them during this trip. It probably won't stop the stampede though. Andrew somewhat wishes he could go to Midgard with them and see the Gods, along with the fabled Asgard. Will and Tyzon were in his office trying to help him find links to the hammer with the jewel, while Ronny and Dax were outside sparring with each other to pass the time. The archaeologist really hopes the kids and Kim are safe and that they won't do anything stupid or Red Ranger stupid, looking at the now Green Overdrive Ranger and his son.

Suddenly, the doorbell went off and Andrew wondered who might it be. Spencer was already present at the door, opening it just as he stepped out of his office. The butler opened the door, revealing three particular females, Andrew hoped not to meet in this situation. Andrew swears they come together to scare him and not come on separate occasions. It is the very three female rangers that Kim somewhat fears. He felt the colour drain from his face, Kimberly has the best sense of timing! Just leaving when The Devil's Trio appear on his doorstep! With whatever courage and bravery Andrew had, he welcomed the former rangers into his home and let them take their seat in the living room. Spencer went off to get drinks for the guests, as Andrew took his seat across from them, he was then joined by the other four rangers.

"Trini, Aisha, Kat, how nice of you to join us. What brings you here?" He smiled,

"We came to ask about a certain… Green Ranger on your team." Answered Trini and his face fell. Shit. Then Dax ran his mouth, which brings Andrew closer to his untimely grave.

"Oh! You mean Dr. Hart? She, Mack and Rose are not here at the moment." He told them, causing everyone else to cringe, which he didn't notice. Ronny was ready to punch him, because Rose relayed a few stories to her, from Dr. Hart about these three particular rangers. Aisha looked ready crush someone, Trini is looking for murder and Kat appeared as if a vein in her head was preparing to pop. Dax still continued. "The lucky three are gone off to Midgard with Mímir to recover Thor's hammer." It seems the other Overdrive Rangers will have to teach Dax how to keep his mouth shut.

"So that explains why Artemis told me, Rhea was silently cutting the tethers." Aisha revealed,

"And Adam told us she's back in the spandex as a Green Ranger." Kat clipped. Well, so much for Adam and Tanya keeping it secret. It seems like dear old Adam was put in a corner and forced to tell them. For all Andrew cared, Kim is going to be sent to an early grave when she comes back. Andrew slyly cringed, he's definitely going to be dead by the time Kim and the kids return. If that is not the case, both he and Kim will be buried six feet under.

 _"Lord, have mercy on my soul."_ He thought worryingly.

_ Meanwhile… _

_ Evening (Midgard/Earth-10 Time)… _

_ Morning (Earth-1 Time)… _

( _Scene: The Realm Bridge, Midgard, Fourth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I finally docked the boat so that we can step foot onto the Realm Bridge. I stretched my arms to loosen the tension, well, not bad for a first time rower; but it's not as easy as it looks. We followed Mímir up the steps, then turning left towards a large door. There was a lever to pull, which Mack did, allowing the doors to open and leading us into another room. The doors closed and we made way to the next room, which was connected by a… what looks like a light bridge. Myself and the kids were hesitant to walk across it, as Mímir floated towards the door that led to the Travel Room. He turned back to us.

"What are you three standing there for? It's solid light and created by Elven magic! It's completely safe." Mack braved the first, putting his foot down and to our shock, his foot landed as if it was normal, solid ground! That's impossible! He smiled, looking like he was having fun. Knowing the light is solid, somehow, even Rose thought this was illogical; we walked across it and Mack, once again pulled another lever. The doors opened, revealing a large room, at the centre was some kind of tree. We were all amazed at the structure, the engineering that went into this! "Rangers," Mímir said, "Welcome to the Travel Room. Now, how it works, head to the centre." We did what he said, making our way to the centre. We all stood around what looks like a tree, which housed nine different towers and the bridge that was outside. This controls the bridge in real time!? Impossible! "Long ago, this mechanism was once controlled by the Bifrost, powered by the pure light of Alfheim. Thankfully, the Dwarves decided to change that, so we can travel to Asgard without the said power of the Biforst.",

"And figure out what pissed Hela off." I added, "Plus, how she's connected to Thor's disappearance.",

"Aye lass. That is most disturbing. Alright, turn the bridge once, clockwise. That's the tower leading to Asgard." I did was Mímir instructed, turning the dial, to make the bridge towards Asgard. I assume the bridge outside also turning. "OK, push the dial down." Pushing the dial, there was bright light dancing around the room, as it moved! Incredible! The room didn't turn much, on the other side, we see what looks like a crystal, levitating and absorbing the light. The process was quickly done and the roots extended to form a small bridge.

( _Scene: Castle of the Aesir Gods, Asgard, First Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Weird, we're still here. Is the mechanism broken? Mímir gestured to follow him and that we did, going out the same way we came in. I pulled the lever to open the final door. The kids and I were expecting to see the landscape of Midgard again, but instead, we were met by a heavenly light that left us dumbfounded. The… the Nine Realms… they exist in the same space! How?

"Rangers, may I humbly welcome you to Asgard - home of the Aesir Gods. Please tarry to the throne room, Odin is expecting you." Nodding, we made our way to the doors of what appears to be a large castle. I can't believe we're in Asgard, it feels like a dream, but I'm awake! Tommy is going to be so jealous of my adventure, this is so much better than with the Dino Thunder Rangers; no offence to them.

We met a pair of guards outside, protecting the gate. They stood to attention, allowing us entry, Mímir led us to the throne room; which honestly was not far. Stepping into the room, at the very centre waiting for us was Odin - the Allfather, the King of the Gods in Norse Mythology; like how Zeus is in Greek Mythology. None of us were sure whether to bow before a god or not for respect and courtesy. Instead, Odin himself stood up, walking towards us! I gulped slightly out of nervousness and he looked at me with an analytical eye. Help me? Rose and Mack were a little scared too. He then smiled and lightly patted my back, to our surprise.

"I can definitely see Zordon in you, child." He said to me, in English! Thank god and the Great Power it wasn't Norse or Old Norse for that matter. Poor Mímir would have to constantly translate for us. "Tell me Kara, how is my good old friend?" I swallowed a lump in my throat, clutching my mother's necklace. I answered the god's question.

"My father is dead, Odin." The Allfather's own face changed to surprise and sadness. "He's been dead for seven years. Sacrificed himself in battle, to rid our world of evil.",

"I'm sorry for your loss, Lieutenant. Give your mother my condolences." Odin replied. "You three must be hungry." He stretched out his hand, pointing to the right. I assume that leads to a dining hall? "I had dinner prepared for you all. We can discuss the situation over food." Following Odin, he led us to the dining hall. I took my seat, sitting diagonally from Odin, while Mack and Rose sat beside each other across from me. We looked at the food, expecting something foreign, but the food seemed pretty normal; except for the fact we don't really consume wild boar meat. There was also a pitcher of wine, but none of us cannot afford to drink alcohol. The kids were eating away, as I picked here and there at my food. I decided to speak about the current affairs with Odin.

"Odin, we heard your son Thor is missing.",

"He is indeed. Sif grows restless and worried. Without Thor to control thunder storms, the storms are out of control, putting Midgard at risk. My people also noticed, ever since he vanished, agriculture has been in decline." He explained,

"When we arrived," Mack voiced, "Draugrs were attacking the village. What's going on in Helheim?" Odin sighed at the question.

"I wish I knew, boy. Hela, Loki's daughter keeps her affairs to herself. The gods, such as me are forbidden to enter her lands." I leaned back into my seat, trying to put the dots together. Thor's vanishing, dangerous thunder storms, Dragur attacking villages, Hela not keeping Odin up to date… is she responsible for all this? Why has Hela suddenly gone rogue? This would put all the Nine Realms at an imbalance.

"You're in deep thought, Kara." Voiced Mímir, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Like to share something with us?",

"I shouldn't be pointing fingers, but it can't be a coincidence. Could Hela be responsible for all this?" We watched as Odin scratched his chin, thinking about my words.

"It's plausible. Loki won't say anything and he hardly interacts with his daughter, let alone his own two sons. If she kidnapped Thor, she is asking for war.",

"Or she could try to speed up Ragnarök." I thought, which caused him and Mímir to gasp in shock of such an idea. Supposedly Ragnarök is not meant to happen for another ten thousand Winters, guess Hela can't wait ten thousand years. "Think about it, come Ragnarök Thor is supposed to face and slay Jörmungandr. If Thor isn't present, the serpent is free to cause havoc!",

"Allfather, I must agree with the young lass' assumption. Thor's absence come Ragnarök will be disastrous!" Mímir reasoned, "If Thor really is held captive in Helheim, we need to rescue him.",

"It's too risky." Odin shaking his head. "Hel is not a place for the living to wander.",

"With all due respect Odin, if your son is down there, we can't abandon him. What kind of father are you, if you abandon your own son?" I asked him. Don't go down the same path as my dad did, abandoning me for his research. It seems like… not all gods are assholes.

"You are correct, daughter of Zordon. I cannot leave my son to Hela's hands." He then signalled the guards, saying to call Freya, his wife, whoever she is. We didn't have to wait long for her, as she stepped into the room. She greeted myself, Mack and Rose and Odin explained to her that we need to travel to Helheim. Freya was shocked at this statement and somewhat horrified too, however, she casted something onto the three of us, explaining it is a protection spell and gave us the travel rune for the realm. Something tells me I'm going to regret this and Rhea does not like the idea of heading into a land of the dead. I wonder which is worse? Helheim or the Underworld? I told the kids to try morphing and I'll do it with them. We stood in a line and did our morphing sequence.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Nothing happened, not even a flash of light. This is bad, we are completely disconnected from the Morphing Grid. Of course, I feared this in advance, so the kids weren't completely shocked by my warning. Great, it'll be old school combat if we have to fight. Mack then noticed Freya, looking thoughtful. What is she thinking about?

"Raise those… contraptions to me please." She ordered. I simply raised my wrist, as the kids raised their Overdrive Trackers. The three of noticed she is citing a spell and our morphers began to glow all of a sudden! The gold light quickly died and Freya began to explain what she did. "I have given your power devices enough energy to transform, with a limit of only once." One time to morph, we have to use this wisely and only when we have to. Hopefully, we can free Thor before Hela finds out, none of us would want to fight a god. "Be careful rangers and bring Thor back to Odin and I." Nodding, we all began to make leave and Mímir decided to tag along with us. He might be able to navigate us around Helheim.

We made our way back to the Travel Room, not wasting any time. I turned the dial until Mímir told me to stop, seeing the bridge connecting to the Helheim Tower. I pushed the dial and the room did the works. I can't believe it! We're actually travelling to Hel! This is probably the craziest shit I have done, even the kids think so. Rose and Mack were beginning to get nervous jitters. Then, the room stopped moving, we're here.

_ Nightfall (Earth-10 Time)… _

_ Afternoon (Earth-1 Time)… _

( _Scene: Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Mack, Rose, Mímir and myself stepped out onto the Realm Bridge, suddenly clutching ourselves. Shit, it's cold! The temperature would give Antartica and the Arctic a run for its money, I'm surprised we're not freezing to death. Our Overdrive Defenders were ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice, if enemies appear. Fighting the undead, it makes me appreciate we are fighting foot soldiers back home. Mímir told us we better make haste if we want to get out of here as quickly as possible. I couldn't agree more with him, even Mack and Rose. We walked across the bridge, seeing the souls of the undead make their way across, this is so terrifying. We were off the bridge and in the distance, was Hela's castle. How are we going to get there? Alright, take one problem at a time, just take each problem as it comes and don't panic. Mímir told us of a shortcut that would cut walking time, but it meant going through dungeons under her castle. Fuck me.

We continued walking, following Mímir as he guided us, he seemed unbothered by the cold, but it was slowly getting to us, as small icicles formed on our uniforms. By the time this is over, I'll be sleeping with three hot water bottles and I won't be leaving my bed. Jumping down a small cliff, a strange occurrence happened, a dark cloud formed a few meters from us, becoming shapes; people. I saw a familiar figure, it was me… no… Firebird, she was fighting against the three remaining Dino Thunder Rangers. Oh no! This was the attack on Reefside two years ago. I watched helplessly as Firebird caught Conor and brought his shoulder at an awkward angle, all of us hearing the sickening crack of his shoulder blade. Conor cried out in pain, demorphing. Next, it was Ethan, using his Tricera Shield, but it did little good, as she tossed it aside and punched her fist twice into his leg, breaking it in two places. Last was Kira, she was caught by the neck, attempting to stab her Ptera Grips into the back from the air. Firebird then punched her hard in the ribs, I heard the crunching break, and threw her towards Conor and Ethan, who passed out from the pain. I covered my ears, to stop listening to the sound of the kids' pain, closing my eyes to avoid seeing the damage I have done.

"Listen to me Dr. Hart," Mímir's voice was sort of distant, but my mind was sort of processing it. "It's Helheim playing mind games on you, psychologically torturing you by using your past against you." The illusion of Firebird turned towards me, looking at me mockingly.

 _"Doesn't matter how many times your friends tell you it is not your fault, you will always be a monster. You can never get rid of me."_ I snapped, lunging for the illusion. I ran straight through it, making it vanished and almost ran into the wall. Sweat ran down my forehead, my mind racing. A monster, worst than the creations that our enemies created to kill us. A literal devil inside my mind, perhaps I should stay in Hel to be tortured and just die here. Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked to see Mack, he then helped me up.

"Ignore it, Dr. Hart." He said to me, "You're better than her." What if I'm not though? Still, I nodded as an acceptance of his words and we all doubled the pace to get to the dungeons before any more illusions haunt us.

( _Scene: Dungeons, Under Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

OK, we finally made it to the dungeons. We stuck our heads out from our cover to examine the situation. By the entrance of the dungeons, Draugrs were guarding the door. Obviously it wasn't going to be easy. We need to be stealthy and thankfully, Rose can utilise her invisibility powers, or we can distract the Draugr and lead them off. How are we going to do this without setting off the alarm and getting Hela's attention on us? Then without warning, I felt something hard smack against my head and I collapsed, losing consciousness.

_ A While Later… _

( _Scene: Throne Room, Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I found myself slowly regaining consciousness. What happened? We were just outside the dungeons, figuring out the best way to dispatch the Draugr guards. Great, it looks like they got the upper hand. I looked at my surroundings, a throne room, beside me was Rose and Mack, all held down by some sort of brambles giving off a bluish hue. Mímir was locked inside a cage and to our surprise, across from us was Thor! His hammer Mjölnir was locked inside a reinforced container. I began struggle against the bonds, but to my dismay, the brambles began to move and get tighter. I felt my ribs getting crushed, in the instant I stopped struggling, the brambles loosened its grip on me. That was when Rose and Mack began talking to me.

"The Draugr got the jump on us." Rose started, "Snuck up behind us. Also, don't struggle against the brambles. They'll choke you.",

"Yeah, no shit." I quipped. I turned to Thor. "Thor! You alright?",

"I'm hanging. Your rescue mission back fired, huh?" Thor's statement made us all chuckle, despite the situation. Well then, that confirms my theory that Hela is involved in Thor's capture, surely though, there must be someone else involved unless she is smart and cunning enough to pull this off on her own. We heard the doors open and walking in was Hela, the ruler of Helheim. I wouldn't call her a walking corpse, but she is certainly not easy on the eyes. Half her body was human and the other was practically rotting flesh. The smell of death coming off her was unbearable. She then spoke to us, surprisingly in English, last time she was speaking Old Norse.

"Feeling comfortable?" She said smoothly,

"Depends on your definition of comfortable." I grumbled. Hela approached me first, looking at me dead in the eye, ignoring Mack and Rose's cry to stay away. They couldn't afford to struggle against the enchanted brambles. "Zordon's daughter, hm? You have Aria's eyes, you even look like her. I recall them visiting the fool, Odin when they were still seeing each other.",

"You're responsible for Thor's capture!" I growled, my eyes flashing red. Hela's lips formed a small curl, predatory almost.

"Highly observant, are you not, Eltarian?" She then raised her hand, glowing with some kind of energy. "Let's see what is in that mind of yours." Unable to move, she placed her hand on my forehead and I felt the pain of her entering my mind, making me yell out.

( _Scene: Kimberly's Conscience, Indescribable Location_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

_I opened my eyes, finding myself in pitch black surroundings. Where is Hela? She's invading my mind, my conscience! I need to kick her out. That was when a voice called out, a voice I did not want to hear, especially after going through the illusion of her… or me severely injuring the kids; not the Overdrive kids, the Dino Thunder kids._

_"I can help you, Kara." I twirled around, seeing Firebird in front of me, wearing her Crimson Ninjetti outfit. I went on the defence. How can I trust her after what she did to Reefside? How she influenced me in almost hurting the kids when I went after Kamdor and Miratrix? Her crimes are unforgivable. "It is understandable that you do not trust me, but I have the power to help you.",_

_"Can I truly trust you, Firebird?" I questioned,_

_"Let's compromise. You and myself, both in control and I give you a portion of my power to defeat Hela. How about that?" I frowned, trying to comprehend this and answered back._

_"I get to use your power, but not only I'll be in control, you will be as well.",_

_"Exactly. You work with me, I work with you. Two halves of a brain, controlling the same power.",_

_"Therefore, I will partially be myself and you." I glared at her. What choice do I have? Will this power be enough to burn the brambles holding me and free Mack, Rose and Thor without cooking them alive? As much as I can't forgive Firebird for what she has done in the past, two years ago; I have to put some form of trust into her. At least I'll be in control too. I scowled a small bit, really not seeing any other options. "Fine, I hate you, but you better hold onto your word.",_

_"I promise you, for now, I will behave." Firebird smirked and our surroundings lit up in a blaze, I caught Firebird's hand and our bodies merged together. Hela is going to regret this._

( _Scene: Reality, Throne Room, Hela's Castle, Helheim, Ninth Realm of Yggradsil, Earth-10_ / _No POV_ )

Kimberly opened her eyes all of sudden. To Hela's shock, her gaze was met by glaring, burning red eyes that glowed like fire. Fire, Hela hated that in her realm. Kimberly's body lit up in a blaze, appearing as if she the daughter of Surtr of Muspelheim; burning Hela's hand off, literally and completely surprising Rose, Mack, Thor and even Mímir. Looking at the brunette, they all figured this is someone else and not Kimberly Hart, but the monster locked deep inside her. That monster has now been released thanks to Hela's meddling. Surprising her even further, the brambles that held Kimberly or whoever she is now, burned them to a pile of cinders. The intense heat was enough to burn through the brambles, Hela was too shocked to move, as she watched her prisoner walk to towards the other humans and Thor with a frightening calm. By simply stretching out her hand, this… fire monster… fire demon burned away the brambles freeing the three. She then turned to the Red and Pink Overdrive Rangers, as Hela called for the Draugrs.

"Morph and free Mímir. Hela is mine." Her voice wasn't completely evil, it sounded like their mentor, but her alter ego is also having control.

"D-D-Dr. Hart?" Mack stuttered, knowing his mentor's alter ego. He wasn't sure whether it was their mentor or Firebird.

"Yes and no." She simply replied, somewhat indicating Dr. Hart is still there, but Firebird at the same time. Well knowing Kim is not going to let her use the new Overdrive Powers, Firebird used her standard ranger powers. No offence to Andrew, Firebird simply did not like green, compared to Kimberly. Firebird got into her morphing stance, the one the Original Rangers use. "It's Morphin' Time! Crimson Ranger Power!" Fire surrounded her body, moulding around it to form her suit and chest armour. The fire died down and Firebird was revealed in her true ranger form, she stretched out her muscles to loosen any cricks and then glared at Hela, unsheathing her short sword. Everyone was dumbfounded, the Overdrive Rangers in particular. The suit and the armour matched the picture they saw on the article Ronny showed them, despite the blurred quality. The armour was gold, the chest plate protecting her shoulders, intimidatingly sharp with crimson accents outlining it; you would not want to be shoulder rammed by that, there were bracers on her arms for further protection and on the centre of the armour was the insignia of the Firebird. Then there's the helmet, sharper and more threatening, it looked almost like their mentor's original Pink Ranger helmet. Mack and Rose, once they collected themselves, quickly morphed.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" And chaos ensued inside the throne room. Firebird leaped for Hela, whose hand quickly regenerated, grabbed a sword and managed to block the attack. The two were soon engaged in swordplay combat, while Thor was freeing his weapon Mjölnir. Firebird meanwhile, ducked a swing and stabbed her blade into Hela's leg, it must be Kimberly's influence, because they want to avoid killing Hela, only weaken her. Hela pushed Firebird off her, using dark magic and sending Firebird skidding across the floor, her armour scratching, causing sparks to rise from it.

"DR. HART!" Cried Rose, as she kicked away a Draugr before stabbing it.

"Stay back, girl!" Firebird growled. At that same time, Thor came to her aid, slamming Mjölnir into the ground. Hela was stunned for a few seconds and a few seconds was all Firebird needed. Dismissing her sword, Firebird charged at the Ruler of the Undead, picking her up and used her like a battering ram. The Crimson Ranger slammed Hela's back into the wall and while she was motionless, she let out a flurry of punches, pushing her deeper into the wall and sending cracks creeping up. By then, Rose and Mack managed to dispatch the Draugrs with Thor's help, turning their attention to aid their mentor, but Mímir stopped them. Firebird let out one more punch, sending the crack further up along the wall, completely weakening it and it gave way. The debris fell upon Hela, trapping her, not killing her, to the relief of The Rememberer. Firebird kneeled down towards the now trapped Hela. "I'm giving you two simple options: let us go and you will live. Come after us, I will finish what I started and I will not hesitate to end a god's life." Hela simply laughed.

"You and I, we're not so different. If it weren't for your original form holding you back, I would gladly accept you as my warrior slave for Ragnarök." Firebird cocked her head to the side, her helmet vanishing in a crimson haze.

"Tempting Hela, but I work alone. The gods neither interest me.",

 _"Firebird, enough. Let's go."_ Kimberly said in her mind. Firebird sighed outwardly, relinquishing control, allowing Kimberly to come back as promised, now her eyes were back to their normal doe-brown colour, not burning red. Leaving Hela in her current state, the group made their way to the exit, before Hela called out.

"You are going to die, child of Eltar! I saw it." Kimberly stopped in her tracks, turning to the Goddess of the Dead.

"Dr. Hart," Thor said, "Do not listen to her. She speaks lies." Kim didn't listen.

"What do you mean?",

"I could not see exactly and when, but I know what will happen to you. You cannot stop it, it is written in stone. Kara of Eltar, you. Will. Die!" She laughed psychotically, trapped within the debris. In that split second, Thor grabbed Kimberly by the arm, pulling her towards him and in a flash of lightening, they all seemingly teleported Thunder God style.

( _Kimberly's POV_ )

We found ourselves back in the Realm Travel Room. Mack was quick to work the dial, bringing it back to Asgard and pushed it down, wanting to get away from Helheim as quickly as possible. I sat on the floor as the room moved, contemplating what Hela said. I will die, it's written in stone, nothing can change that. I'm destined to die? Like my father Zordon? How and when will I die? Rhea told me to forget about it, she might have said that to scare me. The room stopped moving, signalling we have made it back to Asgard. How can I leave with the knowledge Hela just told me? That the life I'm living is destined to end. For some reason, a part of me thinks she's right, this is a destiny I might not be able to change and I can't tell Tommy that. I'll have to hide this from him. What if she's wrong? Maybe Rhea is right, Hela is just messing with me. Standing up, we made our way to the castle.

_ Next Day… _

_ 17:50… _

_ Wednesday… _

_ 25th July 2006… _

( _Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth-1_ / _Andrew's POV_ )

After getting lectured for the past two days by The Devil's Trio, with their help, we managed to make a breakthrough in our research. There seems to be a temple hidden in the mountains of the countryside in Iceland, which makes sense. We're dealing with Norse Mythology, the language of the Old Norse is somewhat alive through the modern day language of Icelandic. Perhaps we might find a hidden temple dedicated to Thor. I wish Kim and the kids were here now, I'm getting a headache from the trio's rant at me. I can't exactly promise them that Kim would be safe! Well… she promises to be safe, but that doesn't danger from coming after her. What do they expect me to do? Babysit her? She's a fully grown adult, a full grown Eltarian! Kim is fine… I actually hope. Kim recently has been having a knack for doing stupid things and some of which border lines Red Ranger stupidity. Without warning, I was blinded by a flash of light and stepping out, was Kim, Rose and Mack. They're OK! I gave them a happy, welcoming smile, locking all three into a tight hug. In Kim's hand, was Mjölnir, Thor's hammer; the actual, genuine hammer! My god! It's a work of art! No wonder Brokkr and Sindri loved it too.

"You guys did it!" I said to them. "How was the journey? You've been gone for two days!" That was when they all gave me a confused look.

"Two days?" Kim said, "We were only gone for several hours." Well, that busts my theory that time moves differently in Midgard to here. Before I could fill them in about going to Iceland, the door behind them slammed open, making me wince. Entering was The Devil's Trio and boy were they pissed. Kimberly was once more, giving her ' _please don't be mad at me_ ' smile. When will Kim learn it hardly or never works! She tries it though, for the sake of trying. "Kat, Trini, Aisha! What brings you here?" What a coincidence, the exact words I used. Without a word, Aisha stomped over to Kim and slapped her hard upside the head. Kim flinched, almost dropping Mjölnir on her foot. She quickly out the hammer down, before the Yellow Bear Ninjetti Ranger went full throttle on her. Kat and Trini soon joined in, screeching at Kim, as she struggled to block their blows. Three on one is kind of unfair. Mack and Rose were unsure what to do, while the other rangers came down, happy to see them safe and sound. Tyzon, on the other hand was asking if they should save their mentor, but I told him it is best, for their own safety, to not get throw into the mix. Ah sure, she'll be fine. I gestured to the kids to follow me into the office to bring them up to speed and how the hammer, the next clue to the Blue Jewel and Iceland are all connected.

_ With Kimberly and the Girls… _

( _Scene: Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I blocked a punch from Kat, then back flipped to avoid a strike from Aisha, only to get knocked off my feet by Trini. Seriously! This is how I'm welcomed after being away for several hours on Earth-10? Which was the equivalent of three days here! The three of them were livid with me, yelling at me about being back in the spandex. Adam! Next time I see him, I am going to kill him! He and Tanya promised to keep my back into action secret. So much for that, I won't be surprised if Artemis threatened Kek. They all yelled me, calling me another Tommy as I managed to pull myself up before they launched into another tirade and bringing up the fact I never told them the truth when I left Earth ten years ago. I was promised a verbal assault, but since they never got to do it when the whole drama of me being trapped in amber, stuck in my ranger suit, my PTSD and so on; it has now been combined as a physical and verbal assault. They've been waiting to do this. I think I should stayed in Midgard. I think I also hear my father laughing, he's watching me as my friends beat me up. It wasn't long until Kat got in the final blow, which I didn't have time to block or dodge. She lashed out with a punch to my stomach, causing me to double over and finished me an axe kick, her heel slamming into my back, added with ranger enhanced strength. I felt my ribs hit the ground and I groaned. Please, time out. I think I'm done.

Suddenly, Aisha pulled me onto my feet by the collar of my new Overdrive uniform, still glaring at me. I could sense Artemis chasing and berating Rhea too, nothing is worse than pissing off the Bear Spirit. Really though, three on one was not really fair and I was surprised to see my friends. Suddenly, they all locked me in a hug, which I to groan over the pain they inflicted onto me. They then released me and the verbal assault started again, only much gentler after they vented.

"You are so stupid, Hart!" Trini gritted, "I swear you should be a Red.",

"I'll take that as a compliment. I guess I deserved the beat down from you all." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"So Kimberly, green I see." Kat looked at me teasingly. "Does Tommy know?",

"No, I've been too busy to call him, which he understands; don't get me wrong." I told her, "But thanks for reminding me.",

"You are taking care of yourself, Kim?" Aisha added, joining in. "You're not spending overtime researching, locked in the office and forgetting to eat?",

"One or two occasions?" I slowly said, mentally recalling the time when I called for Jen, Wes, Eric and Taylor to help me train the kids in unmorphed close quarter combat. Wait for it.

"KIMBERLY!" They all exclaimed. Go figure.

"Look girls, I'll be free to talk to you all for the rest of the evening after I get debriefed by Andrew. Just wait for me, OK?" The three of them nodded and we all walked back inside. I'm sure Spencer will cater for them for a while.

_ Three Hours Later… _

_ 20:50… _

( _Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Finally! The kids and I got the next clue to help us find the third Corona Jewel. After we went to the countryside of Iceland, of all places to have connections to Norse Mythology. It was surprising to hear that the language Icelandic is not so different to Old Norse and a lot of English words are derived from Old Norse too. Anyways, we managed to locate the hidden temple within the mountain, it was dedicated to Thor, really not a surprise. Inside we found a chest, protected by a bunch of stone statues that resembled Draugrs and it clearly sent chills up mine, Rose's and Mack's spines. We promised to tell the others about it over food. Anyhow, they didn't remain statues for long after I used Mjölnir to break the reinforced stone chest, which revealed a talisman. We don't know what it is for or its origins, but for now, it was safely stored away in the vault down in the base. Back to the not-statues, they came to life, in an attempt to stop us leaving or… make sure we died retrieving it. We were able to make quick work of the Draugrs and we all agreed no horror movies for a while.

On the other hand, I wanted to start studying the talisman, but the kids insisted on keeping me away and have pizza with them. They even threatened to get the former rangers to drag me away and I conceded, not wanting to irritate my friends again. Plus, we promised to tell them our time in Midgard. Rose and Mack were telling the story as I sat next to my friends, also enjoying the pizza we ordered. They then got to the part we had to travel to Helheim to rescue Thor. Dax interrupted them.

"Wait! Your guys went to the land of the dead!?",

"This is why myself, Rose and Dr. Hart went full on against the Draugr in Iceland." Mack shivered, "I never want to fight the undead again!" I looked over to see Mjölnir that was placed on the side table. How are we going to get it back to Thor? He must want it back now. We listened to the Red and Pink Rangers again, as they went into the battle that happened in Hela's throne room. "Then Dr. Hart burst into flames! Her eyes were like fire and the flames burned the brambles that held us!",

"Before we knew it, she morphed into her Crimson Ranger form, her armour was so cool and she fought Hela!" Dax was geeking out again, as Will, Ronny and Tyzon's face fell, hearing I went toe to toe with a Goddess.

"I wish I was there now. You went all Rage of Sparta on Hela!?" Please stop using God of War references, Dax. Hela is still alive and hopefully won't cause any more trouble. Unfortunately, the story was met in the opposite reaction by my friends. They knew what fire and crimson were associated to.

"You let Firebird take over you!?" They all hissed, which caused the others to cringe.

"It was a yes and no thing. I was somewhat in control, but Firebird pulled the reins. We made a temporary compromise for the situation we were in." I explained to the trio. "It worked out in the end guys and Firebird relinquished control afterwards." They all just sighed, but it was a sigh of relief.

 _"Nice to know I still send fear into every single ranger."_ Firebird smirked in my conscience. I internally growled and told her to shut up. Rhea gave Firebird a warning as well, with that, she retreated. Rose then, wrapped up the story.

"Before Thor transported us all back to the Realm Travel Room, Hela… Hela said Dr. Hart will die." She gulped, which made everyone drop their jaws with fear and worry. It was evident in their eyes. "She said to her that she didn't know when or how, but it was set in stone.",

"K-Kim…" Kat stuttered, hating to know this, as if it was destiny.

"I'm sure it was a lie. Hela just said that to scare me and you heard Thor, don't trust a word that comes out of her mouth. Just don't relay this to Tommy, Aegis and especially Jason! Please?" Everyone sighed in relief hearing that. They hate the thought of knowing that I would die, but promised not to tell any of our friends what they heard. All of a sudden, our little celebration was interrupted when a flash of light lit the room. It was a portal! Trini, Aisha and Kat were ready to morph, but I told them not to and that it was fine. Stepping out, was Thor accompanied by Mímir.

"Thor! Mímir!" Rose and Mack exclaimed, happy to see them again.

"Aye, how I missed you lassies." Mímir chuckled. Dax was a little better at coping with the floating head, but it was the opposite for my friends. Trini and Aisha were better at holding their stomachs, trying to understand what they are seeing, but Kat… well… with a burst ranger enhanced speed, and a swinging door, Kat was gone to the nearest bathroom. I looked at Mímir apologetically.

"Sorry about my friend, but I think you top her ' _I've Seen Enough Shit_ ' list.",

"The last person we saw as a floating head was…" The Remember finished Aisha's sentence.

"Zordon of Eltar? Yes, I see. I am sorry for your loss, Kara here told us at Asgard." I saw the pained looks on Aisha's and Trini's face, but they were somewhat taken aback that the Norse Gods and Goddesses know my father, our mentor. Remembering the hammer, I turned to pick it up and handed it back to Thor. He smiled graciously as he accepted it, hooking it to his belt on his waist.

"I want to thank you again, for rescuing me from Hela's clutches." Thor said with genuine gratefulness. "I am forever in your debt, rangers, my wife too. Oh yes, Odin has a gift for you all.",

"Me!" Mímir said happily, "Odin was kind enough to relinquish his only advisor and he figured you would all love to hear the stories of the Norse Gods. Oh! I have plenty tales to tell about the Primordials." I looked back at Thor.

"Are you sure? Is Odin sure? To let Mímir stay with us?",

"My father has never been so sure in his life, Kara Frelsari Guðs." I frowned, unsure what Thor meant. Mímir jumped in to translate, by then, Kat was back after sadly throwing up her pizza.

"It means God Saviour or Saviour of God. Odin bestowed it on you, for rescuing his son." I laughed nervously, brushing back a piece of my hair.

"With all due respect, it was not just me. I couldn't do it alone, Rose and Mack who accompanied us helped too." Beside me, we noticed the two rangers blush with embarrassment. My three friends were quietly snickering, I was just about able to hear them say the 'Hart Humbleness' is kicking in again. Thor laughed.

"Their services are not forgotten either, for my father has given them the title Guð Riddarar.",

"God Knights. The Allfather forever has your gratitude." Mímir finished. So, we have a new friend to the team: Mímir. I wonder if his knowledge extends further than Norse Mythology, if it does, he will be extremely helpful. If not, it doesn't matter, I can't wait to hear the stories he has. Thor opened the portal once more to return to Midgard, told us to take care of Mímir and wishes us the best on our journey and protecting our home from evil. He also said goodbye to Mímir, which our floating friend returned the gesture and the portal closed. "So, you were all having a celebration I take it? How do your people celebrate?" This is going to be a long night.

_ Four Days Later… _

_ 5:25… _

_ Sunday… _

_ 30th July 2006… _

Canon: _Post-It's Hammer Time_

( **Nightmare** / _Scene: Battefield, Unknown Location, Eltar_ / _No POV_ )

**Kimberly ducked the swing of a sword belonging to an enemy that was attacking her home. This enemy and his army has ravaged her home, overpowered her army and left her little choice but to order the Eltarian army to retreat back to the escape pods. The enemy has done it, they brought Eltar to its knees, after it stood strong for so long after Countdown To Destruction. She then blocked a vertical sword slash, feeling the metal vibrate down the sword to her arms. The army was desperate for her arrival before all this broke out and before Kim could to five, the Elders promoted her to General. For the time being, she was fighting for survival, as the only fighter because the rest have escaped, ensuring that not all the Eltarian race are dead and have gone into extinction. Her cousin Aegis and best friend Alura have been forced away in the last escape pod, leaving her stranded. It's practically fifty-fifty now, her opponent will either kill her or in good old Power Rangers fashion, capture her, then brainwash her into his personal warrior. Kim would honestly prefer that latter because the others could then find a way to free her. It always works out in the end.**

**After a long fight, Kimberly finally got a clean slash across her opponent's chest, bringing him to his knees. Instead, she was brought to her knees after being shot in the back, making her drop her weapon. The enemy stood up, looking down on her triumphantly. He cheated, her enemy is far from an honourable fighter, compared to Koragg - who is Leanbow, Udonna's husband.**

**_"This is it."_ She thought, _"This is where it all ends."_ Kimberly heard her enemy pick up her sword and pointed it at her neck.**

**"You fought well, General Kara of Eltar, but your home still fell." He chuckled, "Earth will meet the same circumstance, the same way I conquered Andresia." Kimberly just laughed at him.**

**"Earth will be your downfall… Verak. It is more heavily defended than you think." Kimberly bravely back answered.**

**"It is time for you to meet your end and join your people." Verak growled and with his final words, Verak stabbed the sword into Kimberly's chest, causing her to inhale sharply. The sword ripped through her tactical vest and right into her lungs, she couldn't comprehend the pain, she felt her body shutting down as her life slowly drained away. To her left, unsure whether she was hallucinating due to the pain or not, she saw Firebird, not the Firebird of this world, but of Earth-X.**

**_"I told you, Kara: your friends would not be here, when you need them the most."_ And the apparition vanished. Verak pulled the sword out, making Kim clutch her chest, feeling the blood come out through her vest, she then whispered her final words.**

**"Tommy… Amelia… I'm sorry." And then her world went black, as she collapsed to the floor.**

( **Nightmare Ends** / _Scene: Bedroom, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I shot up in instant after the nightmare finished. Cold sweat ran down my back, forehead, my breathing was erratic. I focused to get my breathing to slow and calm my heart rate. Inhale, count to three. Exhale, count to three. I repeated the coping mechanism until I felt my heartbeat go back to normal. What the hell was that? It felt like a nightmare, but a nightmare does not feel real. It really felt like… a premonition. I was on… Eltar, my birth home. I die on my home planet, alone? Who is Verak? I am to die by his hand? Who were his army? They looked like foot soldiers. Lastly, who is Amelia? What or who is she to myself and Tommy? I got off my bed, rubbing my forehead. Perhaps Hela is right, I am destined to die. It seems as if I can't escape or change my destiny. Is my death a catalyst for something? I don't know and I can't tell Tommy or my friends this, they would do everything in their power to stop this. My three friends left just thinking it was a scare tactic. I need to take my mind off it, I need to stop thinking about it.

I stood up, changing into my clothes to head downstairs. I need to continue examining the talisman we recovered from Thor's shrine in Iceland.

_ Three Hours Later… _

_ 8:25… _

( _No POV_ )

The rest of the occupants inside Hartford Mansion woke up for breakfast. The rangers who were dressed in their civilian clothes, walked down the stairs to head for the kitchen so they can ' _raid_ ' the fridge. As they walked down, Mímir was happily talking to Mack and Rose, promising a story they would love to hear as they ate; because of the Vanir magical enchantments, Mímir does not need to eat and is more than glad to be an advisor of sort for Dr. Hart and Andrew, like he was for Odin. The kids have warned that the two have their moments in arguing with each other, thankfully the chances of war with words have significantly lessened, but there is a chance it can happen; and he his happy to take that role. In a way it is similar to Spencer's role, they both act like a voice of reason and are elegant with their words; but unlike Spencer, Mímir will resort to using words only a sailor would know. The group entered the kitchen, surprised to see Dr. Hart already up and about, making tea for herself. She turned around, greeting the Rangers and told them raid whatever they wish. Dr. Hart explained she was already studying the talisman and will tell them what she learned after they eat. Andrew wasn't long in either, but he will be out as there is something he needs to attend to.

The rangers sat around the table as Ronny, Rose and Tyzon got down to making a fry. Tyzon told them thanks to his fiancée, she taught him a thing or two about cooking. The Yellow and Pink Rangers were grateful for the extra hand as the other boys are useless. That resulted in playful argument amongst each other and Mímir floated at the side, watching the interactions with interest. He was amazed at how close they were, the people of this Earth behave so much differently compared to Midgard. He suddenly found himself worried about their mentor, the kids say she is usually up around the same time as them, never earlier. As the rangers fooled around, Mímir silently floated away from them and made way to Andrew's office, figuring that is where she will be. When Mímir reached the office, far out of earshot from the rangers, he called out to Dr. Hart; however, he prefers calling her by her birth name in respect to her parents: Zordon of Eltar and Aria of Phaedos.

"Kara! Would you mind letting me inside?" Without a reply, the door opened.

"Mímir! Come on in." She said. The Remember entered the office as Kim close the door. Kim wasn't in her Overdrive uniform, instead she was casually wearing a pair of jeans, a plain green shirt with a green-checkered shirt, unbuttoned over it. To Mímir, it was strange to see that his new friends have clothes for casual and working days. On the desk was the talisman they recovered, beside it was several books, some opened, the others piled on one another. It appeared Dr. Hart was researching fairly early in the morning, long before anyone was up.

"You were up early." Spoke Mímir, to break the silence.

"Well, I needed extra time to get more research in." Kim replied, hoping Mímir will buy the half truth, half lie statement. "I think I'm getting close to something though." Her new friend shook his head. He has seen this tactic one, too many times and it is not going to fool him, compare to those who outright accept her words without questioning.

"I know Hela's words are bothering you, lass. Please do not lie." Kimberly sighed, knowing there was no way to outsmart him. "You have been suffering nightmares, that feel like premonitions of your future, as well.",

"I can't leave this world, Mímir. I… I have so much to live for. I can't leave my husband and my friends.",

"Sadly, there is nothing we can do about it." Mímir said sadly, "The Fates have set your destiny and for their reason why, I do not know.",

"For all I know, it could be the work of the Morphin' Masters." She grumbled angrily, "Father told me a few things about them. How they created the Morphing Grid, in essence they are the Gods of this world and overseeing every Earth, bar Earth-10; are the Emissaries. They reside inside the Morphing Grid, yet overlook the entire cosmos and the Multiverse, but the Masters themselves live in the heart of the Grid." Kimberly set her tea on the desk and leaned against it. "If I can't change my destiny, then I will accept it, let life play out as normal coming up to it. If the Mophin' Masters have foreseen this, I hope they know what they are doing.",

"You are wise for your age Kara of Eltar." Smiled Mímir. Kimberly then looked over at a book she left open and saw a picture that matched the talisman. She picked it up and she broke out into a smile. Mímir on the other hand was sort of confused.

"That's the artefact!" She said excitingly, "It's not just a talisman! It's a compass. It is called the Aztec Compass or Piedra Aztec del Comps." Kimberly was then in a state of thought, as Mímir hovered over her. "How did the Aztecs get wrapped up in this too?",

"Well… if my memory serves me right, Tyr loved to travel, but in this case, the Blue Corona Jewel did get sent to Midgard. Odin knew the jewel wielded a lot power, but figured it would reignite war with the Giants. He ordered Tyr to find a place to hide the stone." Explained Mímir, "Travelling to the safest Earth he could think of, which so happened to be your Earth, he encountered the Aztecs.",

"And they helped him hide it." Kimberly concluded. "I'm glad you are here, Mímir." She turned her attention back to the compass. "Let's see if we can translate those Aztec symbols."

_ One Week Later… _

_ 14:00… _

_ Sunday… _

_ 6th August 2006… _

Canon: _One Gets Away_

( _Scene: Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

"YOU LET THEM STEAL THE JEWEL!?" Kim screamed at Will, her eyes flashing red. William actually flinched, as the others cringed at their mentor's and Green Ranger's temper. "WHAT POINT OF ' _RETURN IMMEDIATELY_ ', DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?" Will felt like he was put on trial, which was an understatement as his mentor was no doubt going all judge, jury and soon to be executioner on him. Andrew and Spencer were even keeping quiet, to avoid being yelled at. Kim wished she could have being with the kids when they retrieved the third jewel: the Blue Sapphire, but she was in the throes of aiding Andrew in planning ahead, by seeking the next clue to the fourth jewel of the Corona Aurora; the Red Corona Jewel. Everyone looked as William hung his head in shame, he let Kamdor and Miratrix double team him and get away with the jewel, it was his fault. He should have listened to his friends, to get the sapphire to Hartford Mansion as soon as possible. Mímir braved Dr. Hart's temper and tried to reason with her in Will's defence.

"Kara, I beg of you, calm down. Yelling at his error is not going to fix things.",

"You're right, Mímir." She replied, "Because you made the mistake, Will. You can fix it! Get out of my sight. You are a disgrace of a Black Ranger." With those final words, Will felt pride being broken down to the point of non-existence and he snapped.

"If I am such a disgrace for the legacy of Black Rangers, then I quit!" Will took out his Overdrive Tracker and slammed it on the table in front of Dr. Hart and Andrew. Will challenged his mentor with a hard glare of his own. "You know what, Dr. Hart? You're no so perfect yourself either. Tell that to the people under your command. Oh wait! You can't, because they're dead!" The temperature in the room suddenly dropped, Will just stepped into territory that was sensitive to her. Spencer well knows that _Countdown_ is still a sore point and mentioning those that died under her service is a no-no, especially saying it directly to a soldier's face.

"Do not push me, boy." She growled, appearing as if she was undeterred by William's harsh words. The rangers expected a fist fight to break out, but thankfully and somehow, the two were controlling themselves. "Leave." With that, Will stormed out of the office, with his friends following him, leaving only Andrew, Spencer and Mímir with Dr. Hart. The only sound the four of them could hear was the door slamming.

"You could have handled that a little more graciously, Kara." Mímir chastised. "You let your temper get the better of you.",

"Save the lecture, Mímir." Kimberly snarled, "I need to fix William's fuck up." Spencer stepped in, picking up Will's tracker.

"You will remain here, Mrs. Oliver. You caused enough damage already.",

"Pulling rank on me, Spencer?" The Green Ranger argued,

"Yes." Spencer replied boldly, "And don't make me call your husband or The Devil's Trio. Let me handle William." Kimberly silently scowled at the butler's words, which was all he needed to signal that he can carry out what he wishes. Hopefully by the end of the day or tomorrow, Kimberly and Will can sort out their issues. They are all human, everyone makes errors and from errors they learn lessons.

_ Several Hours Later… _

_ 20:40… _

( _Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I was sitting on the bench, staring at the water fountain, listening to the sound of the water. The kids pulled through once more, despite losing the Blue Sapphire to Kamdor and Miratrix, we retrieved the Super Amour that the Fear Cats were using to empower their own Zord. They made some kind of deal with Moltor who gave them the map to the location. Spencer and Mímir were right, I shouldn't have been so hard on Will and he had the right to say the things he said. It sort of did hurt me when he mentioned the soldiers who died when I led them up to and during _Countdown_. I sometimes see the soldiers who died in my dreams, but they aren't angry at me and still ask me to make peace with the past. As I said a while back, when you lead a group of soldiers you become close to them, to the point they are more than comrades, they are your brothers and sisters, it is a lot to burden on your mind. All I wanted is to keep the kids from making mistakes, but I guess making mistakes is what makes us human and they are life long lessons.

At the side, when I watched the rangers hug Will, they were happy to see him and that he came when they needed it the most. He did admit his failings, but it doesn't mean his failings should affect the others when they faced the Fear Cats. It's probably the one lesson I haven't fully learned and there were times I felt I have failed as a Lieutenant or even as a ranger. I'm glad that Spencer and Mímir made me see reason, they're both keeping grounded and in check. I admit I should have been more worried for Will's safety than the recovering the jewel, I guess I let them get to my head, because I saw how close we were to retrieving them all. I felt we were coming close to a journey's end, but I forgot not everything is plain sailing and losing the jewel to our one of our enemies is only a snag in the road, it means we have to be more vigilant in locating the Red and Pink Corona Jewels.

In the midst of all the craziness, I sort of forgot about looking into my dad. I was just too busy and… I ran out of leads. My dad really did vanish, maybe at this stage he is dead and I never got say goodbye. I pray he died a peaceful death and is probably happy that I'm with his old co-researcher Andrew, finishing his work. If we can complete that, I'm sure my dad's spirit will move on and he is with me, just like my real father Zordon. I took out the arrowhead necklace from behind my shirt and clutched it, I am still connected to dad through it and he would want me to carry on with my life; or how much I have left if it and bot become consumed in this search, or for the other matter obsessed. Maybe for all this time… I could have been chasing a ghost.

"Mímir… told me you were out here." A voice said behind me. I turned to see Will, shuffling on his feet, slightly nervous. I gestured to him that he could take a seat, which he did.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Will. I was out of order." I admitted,

"You don't need to apologise to me, Dr. Hart. I deserved it." He answered, "And I shouldn't have said the things about… the soldiers who died. It was harsh. _Countdown_ was not easy on you.",

"I don't hate you for it. I had that coming, there might be one or two things from my past, I haven't come to terms with." Said I, "Anyway, I got my own lecture from both Spencer and Mímir. Plus, you got us the armour and that is good enough. We'll have another chance to take back the jewel.",

"I'm sure you want a rematch with Kamdor and Miratrix, right?" He smirked,

"It's been a while since I last fought them." I said thoughtfully. We both turned back hearing laughter from the sitting room, thank god the Devil's Trio went home dye to work commitments, so I'm spared of further humiliation. I then stood up. "Let's put what happened behind us and move on. Deal?" I reached out with my hand and William smiled.

"Deal." The two of us shook on it. "Now, let's head back inside before our human garbage disposal eats all the pizza." I laughed at him, patting his back.

"Yeah, let's head." And we both turned back, returning to the others inside the mansion.

* * *

Next Time:

"We lost our powers. They're disconnected from the Morphing Grid." Kim revealed,

"What are going to do?" Mack asked, panicking. They have a new enemy related to their mentor's old enemies, then another who is a sibling and they are powerless. The others turned to Kim.

"I need to make a few phone calls."…

"Rangers, meet the backup team, until we get our powers restored." Kimberly introduced…

"Aye yi yi!" Cried Alpha 5, "Reconnecting your morphers is going to be more difficult than I thought!"…

"It's Morphin' Time!",

"Dino Power! Power up!",

"Ninja Storm, ranger form!",

"Wild access!",

"Let's Rocket!"…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we have gotten to the chapter you guys are most anticipating: Once a Ranger. This part of the story is divided into three parts and I sort of deviated from canon, by picking my own team. I wasn't exactly thrilled seeing Bridge and in my universe, SPD have not made contact with any ranger team before 2021 as you noticed, with Time Force being the exception. On top of that, I found Xander kind of annoying. You have the morphing calls, so while you wait for Part I of Chapter 7, have a guess.
> 
> By the way, the proper name for the Goddess of the Dead is Hel, not Hela (referring to Marvel). However, Hela is easier to roll off the tongue and to avoid mixing up the short format of Helheim, which is sometimes referred to as Hel.
> 
> Also, apologies about the description-dialogue ratio. This kinda happens after going through a bout of Writer's Block.
> 
> Until next time!


	7. Once a Ranger Part I - Meet The Veterans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new pair of enemies arrive and push the rangers to their very limits after cutting them off from the Morphing Grid. Now, Kimberly has to contact some old friends to help her and her team get through this.

_"Old words are reborn with new faces."_

\- Criss Jami

* * *

Chapter 7: Once a Ranger Part I - Meet The Veterans

* * *

  _Next Day…_

_ 13:00… _

_ Monday… _

_ 7th August 2006… _

Canon: _Once a Ranger_

( _Scene: Underground Cave, Unknown Location, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Somewhere in America, but in the state of California where it's been said all the ranger activity has been occurring since nineteen-ninety-three, a single figure sits in a sculptured, stone throne, one that seems reminiscent of the throne that was located in the Moon Palace, on the moon. He was part human, but had a monstrous appearance to him, especially with the cracked and damaged armour that surrounds his torso and face. At his side was a staff, similar to the former Lord Zedd, in fact, it was Zedd's staff. Beside him was a winged monkey, more like a gorilla, in silver armour, but one of his wings were natural, the other wing was protected in gold armour, seemingly to replace the one he lost; thanks to magic, the wing was able to be attached to his back and can function normally. In front of them both, was a long stone table, the entire cave they sat was resembling a board room and the two figures were not alone. Sitting at the table were the four enemies the Overdrive Rangers faced in the past few months: the Brothers of Ice and Fire: Fluious and Moltor, Kamdor and Miratrix and the Fearcats.

Kamdor and Miratrix sat smugly, much to the annoyance of the others, because they achieved one thing the rest failed to do: recover one of the Corona Jewels, but Moltor still proudly holds the crown in his vault. There was one thing for certain, that they can all agree on: they don't know why they are here or who the person that sent the invitations is. They all received the same invitation and they all came, now here they were. Moltor grew impatient and demanded answers.

"Alright! Tell us! Who are you?" The unnamed orchestrator complied to the question,

"I am Thrax, son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa." He then turned to the silver armoured warrior. "May I introduce my lifelong friend and General: Silverback.",

"I am Goldar's younger brother, who was slain during _Countdown To Destruction_ , when he was stationed on Eltar." The name of the planet rung a few bells for Miratrix and Kamdor, remembering their encounter with the mentor of the Overdrive Rangers: Kimberly Hart-Oliver, but going by her Eltarian heritage: Kara of Eltar, daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar and Aria of Phaedos. The names of the two warriors are well known throughout the galaxy. Although, it seems the younger sibling was not out of the loop, but surprisingly managed to evade Zordon's purification wave and even Thrax, back in nineteen-ninety-nine. "All I seek is vengeance for the death of my brother." It was Fluious' turn to speak.

"And all we seek is to destroy the Power Rangers, so we can find the rest of the jewels, without their interference.",

"Which is why I brought you all here." Thrax said, "I want to create an alliance, an alliance to end the Power Rangers and I know how to do just that." He smiled.

"How do you propose?" Migs questioned,

"Something none of you, or the previous villains attempted. Completely cut their powers off from the Morphing Grid!" The room suddenly went silent, so quiet, you could hear a pin drop or even a mouse scurry on the floor. No one is crazy or insane enough to target the Morphing Grid itself. Thrax seems even more crazy than his father. "If we stand together, united, it can be done." Thrax convinced. The villains looked among themselves, even the brothers who constantly feuded for thousands of years. If Thrax could pull this off, their enemies will be powerless and it is very difficult to reconnect with the Morphing Grid. Weighing out their options, it seems like Thrax was makes very good arguments, with that, making their minds up they all stood up unsheathing their weapons and laying them on the table; a sign that they accept working together with him, to bring down a common enemy. "Excellent." The son of Lord Zedd laughed.

_ Meanwhile… _

_ 14:30… _

( _Scene: Beach, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Andrew decided that Kim and the rangers really needed a break, especially to recover after losing the Blue Sapphire to Kamdor and Miratrix. He also thought a day off might help Kim and Will further fix the ranger bond they had, despite making amends. In both their tempers, pretty hurtful things were said, things like William being a disgrace to the Black Ranger Legacy, then the Black Ranger rebuffing the deaths of many soldiers that Kim led during the days of the war she fought on Eltar. Spencer even knows the feeling, going to war himself back in the sixties of the Vietnam War. Both were surprised that neither resorted to fisticuffs, that's got to be some really good self-control; because from the look on their faces, Will is usually too much of a gentleman to punch a woman, but he was ready to give Hart a fist to her face. Dr. Hart on the other hand, was prepared to either go Firebird on Will or send him flying out the window. Besides that, the rangers thought it'd be nice to go to the beach for the day and have fun. However, Kimberly insisted that she stay at the mansion to do some research, but the others protested, Andrew and Spencer were urging her to go and even Mímir was in on it. The kids then used one last weapon up their sleeves: the infamous puppy-dog eyes, which really annoyed Kimberly, but she cracked and gave in. Andrew and Mímir will look for clues for the other jewels while Kim and the kids enjoy their break.

So, the rangers are at the beach now, having fun or different definitions of fun. Ronny, Will and Mack were on the surfboards, Dax was just enjoying a simple swim, while Rose was showing Tyzon how to make a sandcastle after witnessing a young child do it. Then there was their mentor, Kimberly sitting on a beach towel reading a book on Celtic Mythology. When the whole thing is over, she always wanted to visit Ireland, particularly to see the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ancient East. The county: Dublin was big attraction for both its shopping and history and Cork has a few surprises of its own. Beside her was a couple of books on various parts of Irish History, one on the failed Irish Revolution, the Irish Civil War and the other was on the history of Irish Politics. Different countries and cultures always fascinated her, Trini promised to bring her to Vietnam some time and Kat would let her tag along to Australia whenever she visits her grandparents. Kat did tell her grandparents a lot about her friends and they really like to meet Kim or, her grandparents would come and visit them. She's pretty sure Cassie has a trip to Spain for the females from the Originals to the Astro Rangers in mind. Kimberly was internally cringing, while she does enjoy shopping, but to a slightly more controlled degree than she was a teenager; a holiday in her mind is like a giant classroom, learning what she can before a certain deadline, not a sun holiday. While she can sit in the sun, her yearning for adventure to just learn makes it hard for her to bask for hours on end. If that plan does go ahead, Kim prays that there's a balance between shopping, sunbathing and sight seeing.

Kimberly was so engrossed into her book, her second pair of eyes: Rhea, her Crane Spirit decided to use the break to meditate or sleep and didn't hear or warn her of a pair of footsteps approaching her from behind. It was too late, before Kim could process anything, one of the rangers dunked a bucket of cold saltwater over her head and miraculously, avoided damaging her books, which would have made her ten times worse. Her husband, Tommy knows to not damage her books, they're like her prized possessions that worth even more than her wedding ring. Tommy is still paying off the four digit bill on his credit card statement because of the ring. Kim was still trying to process what happened, dropping her book on the sand that wasn't wet, turning around to see Rose and Ronny, two rangers, not one; laughing to their hearts content and the boys laughing with them, having witnessed the prank. Kim knew the kids were having a right skit at her, with that, their mentor thought it would be fun if she turned the table on the two and pretended to not be impressed. She stood up crossing her arms, shifting into her familiar Lieutenant Mode and glared at the Yellow and Pink Rangers, who suddenly stopped laughing when they saw their mentor's eyes flash red. Their faces fell, flashing eyes is never a good thing, it made them feel like the two committed mutiny. The two girls began to back away slowly, laughing nervously now. Ronny glanced over at Rose, giving her a sympathetic look and before either could blink, she super speeded her way out, leaving Rose behind in a miniature sandstorm.

"YOU TRAITOR!" She coughed after inhaling a little sand dust, before looking back at her mentor. "It was Ronny's idea." She said meekly,

"Run." Dr. Hart said to her and one command was all she needed, as Rose sprinted for the water. "I'll drown you if I have to, Ortiz!" Rose ran into the water, quickly heading for Mack. Dr. Hart was fast approaching, even in water, Mack couldn't process anything before finding himself being shoulder rammed in the chest; bringing him down into the water, with Rose on his back. The three of them resurfaced, Mack was spared, still surprised at the power behind the ram; but sadly for Rose, Dr. Hart had her trapped in a headlock. She found herself unable to move and was amazed at the strength her mentor had, despite her petite height and Rose is taller than Dr. Hart.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Hart! Please let me go!" And Kim just did that, laughing at Rose's terrified face. Rose realised Dr. Hart was messing with her. "You have a dark sense of humour." She muttered,

"Why thank you. Now, no more pranks on me, otherwise, you'll be having a Prank War with the master of pranks himself: Rocky DeSantos as punishment." With that, she exited the water to dry off and enjoy the rest of her book. Ronny then, reappeared beside Rose, only to be smacked at the back of her head and got a world of scolding for abandoning her to Dr. Hart's wrath. It's a good thing Dr. Hart knows how to be a good sport, so good she can turn the prank on its head. After all, the kids have still yet to hear the story how their mentor got back at the master of pranks, for the one he pulled on her back in high school. Apparently it still gives him nightmares. After satisfyingly dried herself, Kim sat back down to enjoy her book, clearly liking the myths from Celtic times, they were intriguing as they were terrifying. The myth of the Banshee was creepy, a female spirit that would wail to warn the person of impending death. How joyful to know Ireland had its own version of Satan's messenger. Another story that she also liked was the myth of Cú Chulainn, following that is, what she calls the Irish version of Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_ : Oisín in Tír na nÓg (Oisín in The Land of the Youth), except it is Romeo who dies and not Juliet. Kim wondered if her dad ever read things from Celtic Mythology and Irish Legends.

As a historian, Kim's personal pet peeves is when she hears people mix up or misuse the terms myth and legend, even folklore is sometimes mixed up. It's the first thing she taught herself when she was in university. The definition of a myth is: a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Legend means: a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated. Then finally, folklore, which is defined as: the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth. Kimberly recalls during her studies for her Post Doctorate, one of the professors she was collaborating with, asked if she could guest lecture his class. He so happened to be the same professor who offered to fund her studies, if she helped him with his and his team of researchers. Out of courtesy, because he was the reason she even got her qualification, she said yes. The professor wouldn't have asked her to do such a thing, but he did see that she is a ' _gifted_ ' student and her ' _gifts_ ' should not be wasted or dwindled. Kim got to lecture a group of Final Year students, but to her annoyance, the students didn't know the difference between a myth, legend and a folklore; so thirty minutes of the said lecture was spent explaining the three terms and that they are not the same and that myth and legend are not interchangeable. Kim swore if she ever heard such atrocity, she would definitely throw herself over a cliff or beg a Zord, even a Megazord to crush her. The students in the lecture hall were pretty embarrassed that they didn't know the difference between the terms and should have known this since the first semester of their First Year! Despite the short time in university she and Aegis had, they were some good times.

_ Over in Reefside… _

_ Same Time… _

( _Scene: Hayley's Cyberspace Café, City Centre, Reefside, California, Earth_ / _Tommy's POV_ )

I strolled into the café with Rex by my side with his leash on. I decided to not put his vest on him because really, Kim isn't with us at the moment, so he's technically not on duty. He's just being a normal dog until Kim finishes her mission with the Overdrive Rangers. My friends like to check up on me when they're off work, the last pair was Jason and Trini, which was during the first time in weeks I have heard from my wife. She sent me a photo of her ' _kids_ ', having hilariously mortified faces after hearing a story she told them. It's been sixteen days since she contacted me after that message, which has now been added to the stockpile of ranger photos, in a different compartment of its own, to avoid mix up. It would not be fun to get all the photos jumbled up, sorting them out spread across twelve, now thirteen different teams is not fun. I can't believe the holidays are almost over, it appears that Kim won't be able to return for the new school year, starting near the second last week of this month, so her aunt: Dulcea has been teaching her classes. It's actually nice seeing her aunt, she still reminds herself to check in on her niece, but of course, even she's busy with the amount of school work and the curriculum she has to cover. Aegis will also be returning, resuming his role as the school's maths teacher, actually his wife Cassie is still taking a break from the industry, especially after her tour last year, and is working in the local music store here. On top of that, she has music sessions after school finishes every Wednesday and her friend Ashely is a Physical Education instructor as well as the new cheerleading coach.

Not seeing Hayley at the counter, which was manned by new staff, I chose to wait for her. She must be in her office. I sat down on the stool and Rex stood up on his hind legs, his tail wagging. Yeah, Rex is kind of tall compared to the average German Shepherd. The males typically stand between twenty-four to twenty-six inches (sixty to sixty-five centimetres), but Rex is coming in at a surprising twenty-seven inches (sixty-nine centimetres), that's only when he's standing on his four paws. Standing on his hind legs, which he is now, putting him at four-point-six feet (fifty-five point two inches or a hundred-forty point two centimetres). It seems like it comes down to his genetics, either coming from the mother or the sire. I kind of forget Rex's family dog history other than he spent a lot of his time training with _Next Step Services Dogs_ and for some reason, they way he went over to Kim, it's like he's been waiting for her. The staff have tried to match him with other people, but it just didn't seem to work out, Kim seemed to be the one for him. Rex suddenly let out a bark, getting the waitress' attention. I smiled apologetically, Rex is possibly looking for Hayley, knowing she has his god damn treats hoarded in her office. I thank god that he's exercised so much, because Kim would have shot us if he gained a pound or more. The waitress looked up, seeing myself and Rex.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you'll have to tie your dog outside." She said to me. I opened my mouth to explain, but another, familiar voice was heard.

"It's alright, Max. This customer is an exception." Hayley has finally come out of her office, with what looks like large Dentastick for Rex. He then wagged his tail even faster, picking up not only Hayley's scent, but the scent of the treat too. She didn't need to lean over the counter and gave him the treat. "There's a good boy." Then stroking him behind the ear. Service dog or not, Rex loves his attention. Hayley actually realised that she's on her break now and gestured the two of us go the park.

"Enjoy your time with your boyfriend, boss!" Myself and Hayley practically froze. Oh man, one of her co-workers just got the wrong idea.

"No no no! You have the wrong idea!" Hayley said in a fluster, "Tommy is a friend of mine and he's already married." With that, the waitress went red with embarrassment, her friend patting her back as we walked out. I lightly chuckled at the mistake, it's not the first time. We decided to stop at a shop for coffee on-the-go and a little walk and talk at the park.

_ Five Minutes Later… _

( _Scene: Park, City Centre, Reefside, California, Earth_ / _Tommy's POV_ )

Hayley and I walked side by side with Rex in between us, strolling the path along the park. Hayley hasn't been completely out of the loop with Kim's actions thanks to our other contacts, she just hopes that my wife is alright and hasn't been looking for trouble. Last thing she wants to deal with is Kim either frozen in amber again or put herself in a coma. I have to be honest, Kimberly is usually the most grounded and level headed person I know, but when certain situations arise, oh boy, she can give Red Ranger stupidity a run for its money. Speaking of which, Trini, Aisha and Kat were coincidentally off work the same days and drove up to meet their friend. Adam and Tanya, with their daughter, did the same a couple of days before them, unfortunately for the three; they got caught in one of the attacks by one of four of their enemies. Four enemies? Jesus, that's pushing it, that must make the other teams extremely lucky. Wow, Beautiful has her hands full, as does her team; so, four enemies seeking to get their hands on the one crown and its five jewels, talking about crazy and a headache. I won't be surprised if it ends in a battle royale.

Anyways, I am somewhat up to date with Kim's going ons. Unbeknownst to her, Andrew emails me when he gets the chance, I got some updates by the Devil's Trio and there was the news from Adam and Tanya. The last time Kim actually called me was during the unmorphed combat sessions with some of the former Time and Wild Force Rangers and that was months ago. I really do hope she is taking care of herself, if Kim is neglecting to eat, I will hold no qualms in lecturing her or calling Mrs. Dumas to do it, or even her mother Aria. If Dulcea heard that too, Kim would get a right whack from her whistling sticks. I also pray she is taking breaks and not overworking herself, my wife is going between helping Andrew get the jewels, while searching for her father; her mother's ex-husband. Kimberly did have a hard time getting close to Pierre, so far he's in the acquaintance circle, so Kim hasn't really accepted him as her stepfather yet. From all the stories of her youth, my wife was really close to her dad Kevin Hart, a part of me asks why he left her, she did tell me he was becoming obsessed with the Corona Aurora; but it got to a point he pushed his daughter away and by the time she turned ten, he filed for a divorce and walked out of her life. What didn't help Kim then, was her mom Caroline, back then she wasn't exactly ' _Mother of the Year_ ', it's what caused Kim to resort to sleeping over in her friend's houses; primarily Jason and Trini, even Ernie. I still remember the one time Kim cycled to my house in the pouring rain to stay overnight. While it was a few years, including the time Kim left for Eltar, the two were able to make amends and my wife is slowly building a relationship with Pierre. I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard fingers clicking.

"In your own world, Oliver?" Teased Hayley,

"Reminiscing on the past and… thinking what Kim is up to.",

"Why don't you visit her, Tommy?" The ranger technician asked, "It's been a while since the two of you made contact and San Angeles is only a three hour drive. If you leave soon, you should reach Andrew's mansion tonight." I thought about Hayley's words. She's right, I should actually visit Kim on Hartford's grounds, I'm sure she would love it and Rex has been yearning to see his owner. As much as the dog likes me, he is a mother's baby boy. I smiled at Hayley.

"You're right, Hayley. I think I'll head home and get a few supplies. To stay overnight.",

"There you go, Flyboy. Kim will be more than glad to see you and Rex." Hayley checked her watch. "I better fly myself. My lunch break is nearly over. See you, Tommy, give Kim my regards." The two of us hugged and said our goodbyes, going separate ways. Better hurry back home and do a small bit of packing, it'll be an unannounced arrival, though, I know Kim; she'll love the surprise.

_ Back in San Angeles… _

_ 15:15… _

( _Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

The team and I relaxed in the living room after having showers to wash off the salt in our hair and bodies. I was still reading my book, already three-quarters through it, Celtic Mythology and Irish Legends is truly fascinating. Ireland's history makes me really curious, it amazes me at the amount of gaps in our World History. There's so much to learn, so many secrets to uncover. I peeked over my book to see the kids listening to Mímir telling a story about the wolves who chase the sun and moon, the wolves who determine when Ragnarök will begin. The two wolves are Sköll and Hati, they continuously chase Sol and Mani, in essence they are the ticking time bombs for the end times, which will also be indicated by the death Baldur, his name also written as Baldr. Because of Mímir, I thought it'd be nice to brush up on my Norse Mythology, while I am a historian and myths are kind of finicky; they are interesting to read about. I have to say, the day off is kind of nice and we all needed it, plus, our enemies have been quiet, not much activity. Andrew is still researching clues for the next Corona Jewel, with Mímir's help. On the beach, Will and I further discussed the issues between us after the last incident, we felt there was still an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed. In the end, we properly apologised.

Without warning, our little break was finally interrupted when our morphers went off. Andrew was below in the base, saying he was picking up unusual activity near the abandoned steel factory. I told the kids to scout ahead, while myself and Mímir helped Andrew with gathering satellite data. What's happening now? Why is one of our enemies attacking now? Something in my gut tells me it isn't good. The rangers obeyed my orders, running out to the jeep parked outside, as I made my way underground, with Mímir behind me. When you are a ranger, never expect peace and quiet to last, in the end, something is bound to happen.

_ 15:20… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I joined Andrew's side after exiting the elevator, typing away at the control panels. I brought satellite imagery to get a view of the kids, energy reading graphs, the works to figure out what the hell is going on. Mímir focused on watching the kids, so did Andrew. While I maybe a ranger again, I will only join the kid's side if my aid really is necessary; because I'm a veteran ranger, I don't want to them to become too dependant on me. Tommy was a little more active, but the Dino Thunder kids also knew not to get too dependant on him as well. As we continued watching, our enemies appeared, all four standing together; Moltor, Fluious, Kamdor and Miratrix and the Fear Cats. I had to blink twice, together!? They would tear each other apart if they even fought side by side. Something fishy is going on, someone brought them together, united them under a common goal, like a small version of the United Alliance of Evil. Who could do that? That was when a new enemy appeared, actually make that two enemies, one looking like a silver armoured version of Goldar and the other… who is he? Why is he carrying Lord Zedd's staff? Shit! This is bad! I need to be there.

I stepped away from Andrew, he knew I was joining the fight, as Mímir told me to be careful. Thankfully, I still wear my communicator on my other wrist, since my Overdrive Morpher sits on the left and Andrew didn't think to put a teleportation function into it. How bright. I tapped my communicator, teleporting off to the kids, I swear to god if anything happened to them. I would never forgive myself.

_ Moments Later… _

( _Scene: Abandoned Steel Factory, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Mack screeched the jeep to a halt, all leaping out out of the vehicle to investigate the disturbance. It wasn't long till their enemies appeared, ready for battle and they weren't alone, two new enemies joined them. For the rangers, none of them recognised the two and were surprised that this new enemy managed to bring together all their opponents. They would be quick to fight each other than fight against the rangers as they are all competing for the power of the crown. Before any of them morphed, a pink teleportation beam with a green tint, landed beside them, revealing their mentor. Mack and them are somewhat jealous that Dr. Hart can teleport, it's so much faster compared to driving and even using the SHARC at full speed; i.e.: Mach Four; but she actually doesn't use it often. Kim turned, she and the rangers facing their opponents and the two new enemies were looking at her in particular, especially the one in silver armour. He unsheathed his sword, pointing it at her.

"YOU!" He growled, "You killed my brother!" Kimberly frowned. She wasn't aware that she took the life of a sibling. Then her eyes zeroed in on one of the wings, one was familiar. It was the one she severed during the attack on Eltar seven years ago, it was Goldar's wing. "I see you are remembering. You killed Goldar, Lieutenant Kara. I will avenge his death." It was time to fight. The rangers got into their morphing stance and transformed.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" In a flash of red, blue, black, yellow, pink, silver and green, the rangers were morphed and ready to fight. Without needing to communicate, the team split into pairs. Chaos ensued outside the steel factory, Mack and Will faced Kamdor and Miratrix, Dax and Rose squared off with Moltor and Fluious, then Ronny and Tyzon faced the Fear Cats. It then left their mentor to face their new opponents on her own. Kimberly unsheathed her Overdrive Defender in blade mode and summoned her short sword, getting into a dual sword stance. The silver armoured gorilla, who revealed himself to her as Goldar's brother stood at one side and the other holding Zedd's staff was on the other. Waiting for her opponents to make the first move, they did exactly what she predicted. Kimberly parried a strike from the gorilla and quickly kicked her second enemy away, keeping him down momentarily. The two were held in a sword lock, trying to out strength the other.

"Who are you?" She demanded,

"I am Silverback. My brother will be avenged, by killing you." He growled. Before Kim could push him off her, her second enemy struck her in the back, only to get slammed by Silverback's wing. Kim found herself thrown into a bunch of disused canisters. Then, the enemy holding Zedd's staff picked her up by the neck, almost choking her.

"Dear Kara, you will learn to fear the name: Thrax, son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa!" Kim swore if she wasn't trapped in this choke hold, she would have ripped her helmet off and thrown up. Now, the Lieutenant on leave is going to have nightmares of Rita and Zedd getting it down between the sheets. Thrax threw her to the ground once more, then firing a blast of energy at her, causing her to fly back into the jeep; the force was so strong, her chest armour dented the car. The Overdrive Green Ranger prays Andrew has good insurance on that car. It wasn't long till the other rangers were tossed to her side, all pretty beat up. Kim couldn't help but be somewhat impressed at Thrax for uniting their enemies, but he is going to pose one hell of a problem. By the time they all stood up, Thrax ordered his new allegiances to charge up an attack at once and that they did. With one powerful burst of energy, it struck all the rangers, forcing them to power down, their suits took too much damage.

They were all banged up, bruises were already forming, a few of them showing small cuts on their faces. Somehow, the kids and their mentor still found a strength to stand, if there was one thing Kim learned during her service in the war: it's to keep pushing, no matter how bad things got. It worked for when she was on Edenoi, now she has to push the rangers. With whatever spirit they had, the rangers still fought using the powers. Sadly, it still wasn't enough. Mack noticed too late that this put their mentor in peril, realising that Silverback has a grudge against Dr. Hart. Silverback managed to knock Kimberly down, intending to stab her, but Kim moved in a way that he only ended up stabbing his sword into her leg; but of course, she wasn't invulnerable, she can still feel pain and cried out of the weapon's blade met her flesh. She really hoped Tommy and the other Ninjetti didn't feel that. It still wasn't the first time Kim was wounded by a sword, but to be downright stabbed was a different story. Ronny came to her mentor's rescue, pushing Silverback away with a side kick, powered by her super speed. It caused Silverback to pull out his sword, the others noticed the blood on the blade. The Green Ranger clutched her injured leg to stem the bleeding, it was deep alright. Then, another energy blast was sent out, but not at them, it was aimed at the sky and they were all hit with an energy wave, which caused their morphers to become damaged beyond repair. Kim knew what this meant and it's bad. Thrax and his allies have severed their morphers from the Morphing Grid, therefore, they are powerless and that is bad news. Knowing the rangers have lost, Thrax ordered his new ' _friends_ ' to retreat and they all knew that Silverback was not going all out. If he intended to kill Dr. Hart, he would have done so when she was down and unmorphed, he was playing her. Keeping pressure on her wound, Dax came back with the First-Aid Kit and got to work patching her leg until Spencer can look at it. Mack and Will distributed their mentor's weight, helping her to the jeep, they need to report back to Andrew and fast.

_ 18:25… _

( _Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

By the time they returned to the mansion, Mack's father has surely seen the whole battle. That means he certainly knows Dr. Hart is wounded, but not mortally wounded. She will recover. While Mack filled his father in, Spencer was patching up Kimberly's stab wound, they all thanked God while Mímir praised the Allfather that the wound was not as deep as they thought; it was thankful the blade had not met the bone, just only tore through muscle. The wound still required stitching. The other rangers were somewhat disheartened, now powerless and unable to morph, their enemies can run ramped with no one to stop them and certainly find the other jewels. While Kim was trying to ignore the pain of Spencer suturing her leg, she was planning ahead. Yes, their powers are gone, but there might be a way to restore them, any ranger team who lost their powers, have been able to get them back, even if it meant a new version of the old ones. Her original team lost their powers twice, then her father's energy wave not only vanquished and purified all, or most of their enemies, it also restored their past powers.

Kim thought back to when she, Tommy and Aegis were sent to Earth-X. They managed to make Firebird and a majority of her army powerless by using a crystal shard, which is the Morphing Grid in its physical form, a form that humans and aliens alike can comprehend. Kimberly prays it was just her team affected after the Morphing Grid was literally attacked in a sense. Billy made many theories of how the Morphing Grid behaves too and he's still theorising, while collaborating with scientists from KO-35. Back to the other matter at hand, despite the Multiverse, there has to be at least a constant between each of them, besides Earth-10. If the crystal was recovered in the Power Vault on Earth-X, surely it has to be in the same place on this Earth, however… it means having to go through the horrible illusion spell chamber again. Kim decided to keep this quiet for a while, to avoid bringing in unnecessary hope, she doesn't even know if the crystal can give, only knows it can take. Spencer was long finished stitching her wound now, he told her no strenuous activity, but obviously it's going to fall on deaf's ear. While they are unable to morph, the Morphing Grid still offers them accelerated healing and Kimberly still has her Ninjetti Powers as a back up; but they've been used significantly less since she became a Green Ranger. Sometimes, she forgets she does have the power of the Ninjetti, but Kim can't continue fighting on her own and her leg will only hold so long, until it can't take the strain, there's even the worry of ripping the sutures out too. Even with accelerated healing, the wound will take at least a week to heal properly, then taking into account the stitches will need to be removed. It only means one thing: she has phone calls to make, Kim needs to form a temporary team until the Morphing Grid that houses a section of their powers is repaired and second: reconnect their morphers to the Grid.

She has to say, at least one of Billy's theories is correct. The Morphing Grid does not store the ranger teams' powers in one compartment, there are actually several and each compartment holds the power that each team wields. One compartment for every team, before his passing, Zordon explained to Kim that accessing the raw energy of the Grid is too dangerous, even for aliens. Using this raw energy the Morphing Grid stores will cause irreparable damage to the body, even death; the morphers act like a conduit, same with the Power Coins, the Zeo Crystals and even the Quasar Sabres. They all act like a link to the Grid and when they morph, that link channels the energy from the Grid in safe levels, allowing them to morph. Kim can actually thank her lucky stars and so will the others, that the compartment that their Overdrive Morphers are connected to and channelling is the only one damaged. All they need is a way to fix that compartment of the Grid and reconnect the link between that and their morphers. It means calling for help from Billy and even Hayley. On the other hand, Kim needs to make the phone calls as soon as possible.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Spencer got up to answer it, while they sat in the living room. Kim stood up, wincing in slight pain, but she knew she can soldier through this; she was wounded by bomb, tortured, frozen in amber, put herself in a coma and a lot of other things that her friends would shoot her for, because she never told them. They heard the door open and before anyone could process what happened, Kim found herself knocked to the floor by a fluffy ball of brown and black fur and was soon attacked by doggy licks. Mack and his friends were unsure what to make of it, Tyzon was mesmerised because he has never seen a dog and read Earth has many types. They actually haven't heard their mentor laugh like that since the beach today.

"OK, OK Rex! Down boy." She managed to push her service dog off her to sit up, still rubbing him. Rex circled his owner, not caring his bushy tail whacked his owner's face; he was just so happy to see the human he bonded to and is his duty to protect. "I missed you too, Rexy." That was when another person entered, the Overdrive Rangers were not familiar with him, but it hit Kim in an instant. She smiled, hearing her Crane cry out in excitement, seeing her mate the Falcon; Rhea and Caesar were suddenly engaging in a dance, since they had not saw each other for several months. Kim stood up, already forgetting her wounded leg and limped to Tommy. Her husband frowned with concern, seeing his wife limp towards him.

_"Was this why I felt the sharp, stabbing pain in my leg on the way?"_ He asked himself. On the way, he almost crashed his car into a tree because through his connection, he was suddenly hit like something stabbed him, but it was no coincidence. Kim had injured herself, again. He thanked God that Jason wasn't with him or his wife, even the wives of Billy Cranston and Rocky DeSantos. Tommy found himself locked in a tight hug, at least Kim is not crushing him in an Eltarian strength hug that could break his ribs. He returned the hug, so happy to see his wife, despite her injury, he hates it when his wife gets hurt. Much to his shock, his wife was wearing green, not pink; yes she wears green because he wore it, Kim didn't exactly return his green-checkered shirt to him, but he let her keep it. However, she's gone all out green! His instincts told him his friends and Andrew withheld some information from him.

"I missed you, Handsome." She said to him,

"I can say the same, Beautiful." Tommy answered, "What happened to your leg?",

"Got stabbed." Kim huffed, "It turns out our old enemy Goldar has a brother, and he's out for my blood." Tommy had to blink twice, the enemy he has not seen since the nineties has a brother!? And he's after her! "His name is Silverback. That's not the best of it, though.",

"Shock me." He said to her,

"Rita and Zedd have a son. He calls himself Thrax." Now Tommy felt he has heard everything. Their former enemies have a son!? It sort of made him sick to his stomach, while Rita is now Mystic Mother and Zedd is residing in the M51 Galaxy fixing up things, they still managed to bear a son when they were evil. The four-time ranger felt like throwing up at the thought, it is nightmare fuel. Suddenly, Mímir appeared beside him.

"Ah, so you're Kara's husband." He greeted, "I'm Mímir, think of me as the rangers' advisor." Tommy has definitely seen and heard everything by now. A talking head!? His mind was racing and Kim noticed the colour draining from his face, without warning, her husband just dropped to the floor. "I expect this will be the norm, then." Everyone in the room was just so confused and their mentor was face palming to hide her embarrassment. She guessed that Tommy has seen enough shit, the Green Ranger is not looking forward to the others meeting Mímir. Kimberly has to agree with Kat, Mímir is going to be number one on everyone's: 'Seen Enough Shit' list. Well, ever since entering the ranger world, life is far from normal. Mack and Tyzon lifted their mentor's husband onto the couch, leaving him there until he wakes up, once he recovered from the shock of seeing Mímir. They then noticed Dr. Hart and her dog Rex were already gone, probably into Andrew's office, Will said she was muttering about making phone calls.

_ Two Hours Later… _

_ 20:35… _

( _Kimberly's POV_ )

I sat across from Tommy, waiting for him to wake up. I can't believe the poor guy fainted! Well… Mímir is a sight to behold. I was long finished the book that I was reading on Celtic Mythology and now moved onto the history of Irish Politics. I remember the days learning about Government History as one of my modules back in university, some found it boring, others found it fascinating. Learning about the governments of the past, may it be the Emperors of the Ancient Roman Empire, the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, communism, dictatorship, democracy; even all that can tell the history of the country and how it was run. I picked up my cup of tea that Spencer made for me and sipped it, he knows how to make a mean cup; I have to say. Rex laid at my feet, getting into typical service dog duty again. Anyways, I made the phone calls… well… not exactly phone calls. The Sentinel Knight reappeared before me, seeing the situation we were in. He told me to give him the names of the people to form the temporary team and he will gather them. I have to say, it's better than making five different phone calls. I told the Sentinel Knight to find Rocky DeSantos - Red Ape Ninjetti Ranger, while we can summon our suits, when we are with Jason, Trini and Zach, we use the Ninja Ranger Powers to avoid confusion; Kira Ford - Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger, there's no way she'll turn this down and apparently, she does miss me and will want to catch up; Victoria ' _Tori_ ' Hanson-Bradley - Blue Ninja Storm Ranger, Carlos Vallerte - Black Astro Ranger and Alyssa Enrile-Evans - White Wild Force Ranger.

This is the temporary team I have chosen and I do remember Tori after the team up during the Dino Thunder days. They were not fun to fight when they were mind controlled by Lothor, almost gave my Ninjetti Powers a run for its money. Kira and her fought well together, they'll be happy to see each other again. Carlos is no stranger because he was on the frontline of the attack on Earth during _Countdown_ , apparently, he heard a lot about me and was involved in my rescue. Really, on a personal level, it'd be my chance to properly thank him, apart from Cassie and Ashely, I didn't have a chance to thank Andros, Zhane and TJ. I could have done so earlier on, but I was busy carrying out political duties, there was no time for trivial talk and I didn't actually see them at some of the yearly Power Ranger Reunions. Lastly, Alyssa, the third White Ranger in the legacy after Cestria; the White Aquitarian Ranger and before Trent. Being a Primary School teacher, she will help bring some level headedness and stability to the team, who knows, she may keep Rocky in check; but Rocky has his mature moments and will step up to the mark. This team will do fine, until we get the other shit sorted out. Sentinel Knight said he'll have the team here by tomorrow morning at the earliest. Next, once Handsome wakes up, I need him to call Billy and Hayley, we need technicians to repair our morphers so that they are ready to be reconnected. I have a good feeling the next couple of days or weeks will be hell.

My attention was taken away from my book when groaned out. Looks like Handsome is finally waking up. I closed my book, placing it on the coffee table. Rex stood up beside me as I got off my seat and I put my hand on Tommy's shoulder.

"Rise and shine Mr. Rainbow Ranger." I said to him. Tommy opened his eyes, but he was still somewhat dazed.

"Don't make me wash the Zords!" He grumbled. I had to control myself from bursting out into laughter. My father made myself and Tommy wash our Zords, as a punishment for traumatising poor Billy and Alpha. It was during the Christmas when us and the rest of the team ventured to the North Pole to save Santa, his elves and the workshop. Two times our kissing sessions were interrupted, so after the mission, we managed to find some alone time by sneaking down to the Zord Hangar and… well… we got into an intense kissing session on the front paw of Billy's Wolf Zord. Our session got to intimate point where we both had our shirts off, so… imagine Billy's and Alpha's mortification when they walked in on us, trying to find the two of us. Thinking about it made me laugh internally.

**_ Ten Years Ago… _ **

**_ 18:35… _ **

**_ Friday… _ **

**_ 24th December 1995… _ **

**Canon: _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger_**

**(Flashback** / ** _Scene: Zord Hangar, Command Centre, Desert, Unknown Location, Earth_** / ** _No POV_ )**

**Kimberly followed Tommy into the Zord Hangar. They finally had some alone time after their two previous attempts to make out were interrupted, one by Bulk and Skull, the other when their communicators went off since Rita and Zedd began causing trouble once more. If Tommy was honest with himself, he really hated the interruptions, he wanted to get closer to Kim, maybe a little more if she'd let him. He was thankful that his sneaking skills were up to scratch, because the two managed to make their way into the lower levels of the Command Centre. Kim wasn't sure if this was a good idea, Tommy was playing bad boy right now and the last thing she wants to deal with is a lecture by her father. However, the consequences were blocked out by the positives, she was alone with Tommy and they can be together without no one watching them. Tommy stopped next to one of the Ninja Zords, not really caring to note which one it is, being more confident, he took Kim by the waist and kissed her, passionately and his confidence grew even further when she returned.**

**Their kissing session began to step into new territory, towards the more passionate aggression. The two battled for dominance, as moans of pleasure began escape their throats and filled the hangar with their echoes. Kim loved the fact Tommy was pressing against her, moulding into her petite body as she held one hand onto his shirt and the other in his dark-brown hair.**

**"I really want you, my beautiful Crane." Tommy growled into her ear, his voice almost shifting to evil Green Ranger.**

**"Take me, my Falcon." Kim gasped as Tommy kissed her neckline, "I'm yours!" The two rangers began pulling at each other's shirts. Tommy helped Kim remove her's, revealing her slim, but toned body, with the slight outline of her abs, then he quickly took his white t-shirt off, showing his chiseled, muscular body and six pack. They both threw their shirts to the ground, then Tommy picked Kim up, his hands under her thighs. Knowing what he was doing, Kim wrapped her legs around her boyfriend's waist and he pinned her to the Zord, the foot anyway or they think it is the foot. Neither could comprehend what since their hormones were in overdrive, it closed their sense of thought. Tommy began to slowly and softly grind into her, making Kim moan out of pleasure, feeling his erection under his jeans. Kim buried her hands further into his hair, as her arms held onto his broad shoulders. Tommy's hands brushed around the strap of Kim's bra and was tempted to take it off, while continuing to grind and listening to Kim's soft plea of wanting more and not to stop. The two were so deep into each other, they didn't hear the footsteps approaching them. The White and Pink Rangers were actually border lining of having full contact, consensual sex, all they had to do was simply remove their jeans. Without warning, a voice screamed out and at a high pitch.**

**"HOLY WHAT THE FUCK!?" Surprised by the sudden voice, Tommy pulled away, accidentally dropping Kim in the process. Kim fell to the floor, not angry at Tommy, because she was shocked as much as him. They both looked up, the footsteps turned out to be a pair, as Billy and Alpha stood before them; somewhat traumatised looking to put it blandly. Kimberly quickly stood up, grabbing a shirt and put it on, it so happened to be Tommy's shirt. Traumatised wasn't the right word, it was more like scarred for life. Poor Billy has this image of them now engrained into his sad brain.**

**"Aye yi yi! Aye yi yi!" Alpha said in a shocked voice, "Sensory systems overloading!" Surprisingly no sparks came flying out of his circuits. The two looked at each other, knowing Alpha won't be able to look at them for a few days, or weeks.**

**"Tommy! Kim! What the hell!?" Billy asked in a frantic manner, "You two were making out and close to sexual intercourse on the front paw of my Wolf Zord!" The White and Pink Rangers went red with embarrassment, unable to figure out how to deal with this. Then their Animal Spirits, as well as Daedalus appeared. Caesar and Rhea were embarrassed as much as their champions were, having been caught in an intimate moment. The last time the three spirits were in this situation was when Daedalus' original champion walked in on Zordon and Aria having alone time together. Daedalus stood next to Billy, his ears pinned back, scarred once again.**

**_"I must agree, Billy. You and I cannot block this out."_ ,**

**"I will have to spend a whole week sterilising my Zord's front paw." The Blue Ranger muttered, holding his head in his hand.**

( **Flashback Ends** / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Poor Billy did spend a week sterilising the front right paw of his Wolf Zord, he meant it, then in school he couldn't look at us for another week and Daedalus was just too mortified to tell the other Animal Spirits. My father did give us a lecture, embarrassingly on safe sex, surprise, surprise and as our punishment: was cleaning our Zords, thank god. It took us a month and a half and tons of water and soap to spotlessly clean the Crane and Falcon Ninja Zords until they shined like a newly bought car, beak to tail, but better. Although, the lecture wasn't fun, especially by my father. I think we did get away easy with cleaning our Zords, for all I know, he would have made clean them all. Actually, the two of us did get lucky, as father had not decided to call my aunt and uncle to also lecture us and Tommy was spared of being berated by my mother, Aria. Tommy slowly sat up, looking at me.

"What happened?" He asked me,

"You fainted, in front of my rangers, after being greeted by Mímir." I told him, trying to stifle my laughter. I watched as Tommy went as red as his Zeo suit.

"Oh god! My dignity." My husband groaned. I then helped him onto his feet.

"Come on, Handsome. The kids are having pizza and you don't want to miss out because of our second human garbage disposal, and I'll introduce you to them." Rex got up as soon as Tommy and I began making our way to the kitchen. Behind the door, we could hear laughter and joking, despite our grim situation. The reason the kids are like this, because I seem to have everything in control, they know I've had past experience with this and it give them some form of reassurance. Once we entered, the rangers greeted us, while giving Rex some pizza crusts. I scolded the kids not to spoil him, as he is spoiled enough already. Service dog or not, he does what he can to get free food. "Kids, this is Tommy Oliver, my husband. He's also the longest the serving ranger in our history, bearing four different colours. He is the original Green Ranger, followed by White, Red Zeo and Black a Dino Thunder." I introduced, as he waved at them. Like him, I sort of see why he does not count his service as the Red Turbo Ranger; he spent too little time with the powers and never really bonded with it. Literally all the kids stopped eating, trying to comprehend that they are standing before a legend, which is one way to put it. I began to introduce my rangers to Tommy, going from left to right around the table. "First you have Mack Hartford - Overdrive Red, our leader, next to him is Ronny Robinson - Yellow Overdrive Ranger, our human garbage disposal I told you about." Ronny went red after that, but she still has no shame about it. Wait till you meet Conor and Rocky, one day sweetie. "Third, is Dax Lo - Overdrive Blue, then you have Rose Ortiz - Overdrive Pink, our brains of the group, Will Aston - Overdrive Black, you can call him our infiltrator if you want to." My statement made the others chuckle. "And lastly is Tyzon of Mercuria - Overdrive Mercury Ranger." I finished. Tyzon handed a plate of pizza to myself and Tommy, which we took happily.

"Dr. Hart," Mack called out, only to swallow his pizza then. "Are you not going to tell Tommy?" I gave the kids a look to tell them to 'shut up', but of course, they didn't. Oh god on Earth and the gods of Eltar help me. I turned to Mímir with a pleading look, but he returned one that told me: 'You're on your own, lass'. I'm going to kill them some day. Tommy turned his head to me, clearly confused.

"Tell me what, Beautiful?",

"That Dr. Hart is the seventh ranger on our team!" Ronny spilled, "She's Overdrive Green Ranger." Tommy whipped his head towards me, trying to process this. He was connecting the dots now, why I'm suddenly wearing more green and less pink. Now, he was heavily blushing, because I'm wearing his first ranger colour.

"Looks like things come full circle Mrs. Oliver." Voiced Spencer, from behind, accompanied by Andrew. I looked down, seeing a device in his hand; please don't tell me he has recorded footage in that. Without saying anything, Andrew placed the device on the kitchen table and tapped it, revealing the video of my first morph as the Green Ranger. I watched as Tommy's jaw dropped, with a mix of shock, surprise and not to mention, there was pride in his eyes.

"It seems like you have rubbed off me, Kim." The entire room burst into laughter, as I playfully punched Tommy in the shoulder and it wasn't soft. My fist made him wince, because I added a tiny bit of Eltarian strength to it. I stared in satisfaction as he rubbed it to ease the pain. "Really, Kimberly, you took my first colour." He laughed softly, "Welcome to the Green Ranger family, the eighth Green Ranger of our legacy and the first female to wear green. Be proud." I sighed. Tommy, there is no need to make a big deal of it, but I know I'm sort of boosting his ego. I then looked at the clock, to see it was getting late, time to hit the hay; we have a busy day tomorrow and our temporary team to meet.

_ Next Day… _

_ 11:20… _

_ Tuesday… _

_ 8th August 2006… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

After breakfast, the entire mansion was up and buzzing, everyone was in the Overdrive Base now. Tommy, on the other hand, was admiring the technology Andrew has, saying it would rival his Dino Lab. Knowing Andrew, he had a few contacts to get such technology, I never asked him who, though. The kids were in their Overdrive uniforms and so was I, to make the meeting between the veteran rangers and the new rangers somewhat formal, to a degree. Oh no, I'm going to get an earful by Rocky and Kira, I should have asked for another Red, like Shane or even Nick, though he sort of irritated me when I read his file. In the end, he set aside his pride and arrogance, becoming a good Red Ranger and leader. My husband is still trying to comprehend that I'm back in the spandex as the team's Green Ranger and said he liked my uniform. He actually liked seeing green on me.

Then, a golden light filled the room, another portal. Stepping out, one by one, were the former rangers I asked Sentinel Knight to gather. Mímir stayed beside Spencer and hopefully, we won't have fainting rangers. That's all we need. The veteran rangers stood in a line, all except Rocky and Kira. The two rangers from different teams ran over and locked me in a hug. Rocky and Kira noticed I was wearing a uniform with green lining and before I could answer, I was bombarded with questions. Rocky swore when I left for San Angeles, that I was still the Pink Ranger, now he quickly deduced I am Green. Rocky saw Tommy, much to his surprise and began to lecture him, said something about Mr. Rainbow Ranger corrupting me and all I need is three more colours to match him. He also rambled about, the last thing he wants to see and for my brother Jason to hear is a female version of Tommy, running around California; thanks guys. I sighed, Red Ranger or not, he can be a child at heart, I wish Aisha came too. Deciding to break up the boys, I grabbed Rocky by the shirt, pulling him back to the other veteran rangers. Kira gave Tommy a quick hug, before returning to the line. I promised him and the Yellow Ranger, that I will explain everything. Alright, everyone has calmed down, time for introductions.

"Kids, meet the veteran rangers. Veterans, meet my team: the Overdrive Rangers." They waved at each other, smiling, putting my team at ease. This is quite a bombardment for them. My team started off with the introductions.

"Mack Hartford, Overdrive Red. I'm the leader." He introduced,

"Ronny Robinson, Overdrive Yellow." Ronny smiled,

"Dax Lo, Overdrive Blue Ranger.",

"Rose Ortiz, Overdrive Pink." I heard Kira whisper to Rocky that she thought, I would be pink. I held back a chuckle, she would be surprised to hear that I almost got landed with being the Red Ranger. Next was Will and Tyzon.

"Will Aston, Overdrive Black.",

"And I'm Tyzon of Mercuria, Overdrive Mercury Ranger." He greeted. Looks like things are going off without a hitch. It was the veterans' turn to introduce themselves.

"Rocky DeSantos, Red Ape Ninja Ranger." Well, looks like Rocky is using his Ninjetti Powers. Since the other Original Rangers are not here, he can use his second form, which is his ranger suit.

"Kira Ford, Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger.",

"Tori Hanson-Bradley, Blue Wind Ninja Storm Ranger." She greeteed, proud to meet the latest team in the legacy. This legacy will never stop growing, I know it.

"Alyssa Enrile-Evans, White Wild Force Ranger." Last but not least,

"Carlos Vallerte, Black Astro Ranger." He noted, respectfully. It didn't take long to begin the debriefing, filling the veteran rangers in on why I brought them here. Andrew showed footage of the Morphing Grid, the section that is damaged and compromising our link, leaving us powerless. I explained that they are a temporary team, to protect San Angeles until we have our powers restored. We also filled them in on our enemies, especially Thrax and Silverback. I saw the look on Rocky's face, I'm amazed he hasn't fainted yet. I told Tommy we need technicians to fix our morphers, so that they are ready to be linked and he said that he will give Billy and Hayley a call. Tori offered to contact Cam, the Green Samurai Storm Ranger for an extra pair of hands. The more, the merrier they say. Oh yes, we need Alpha, apparently, it is possible to enter the Morphing Grid, but no human or alien has ever done that, unless you have a sufficient power source to help you; however, there were tests done for automatons, no doubt Alpha can get into the Grid without being harmed. Carlos said he'll get Andros to bring Alpha 5 here, also knowing I can work better with him, than Alpha 6; speaking of which. I gave Carlos a look, he knew I wanted to speak to him at the side. We walked over to the corner of the base. "What is it?" The Black Ranger asked me,

"I want to say thank you, for rescuing me eight years ago." I said to him, with a small smile. "I wouldn't even be here, let alone after the war, had you and your team come for me." Carlos laughed nervously,

"It was your mom who contacted us, Kara. We were taking an order from Commander Aria, but that said… you're welcome. I'm glad you are still here with us. You are a fighter to the end." With that, I gave Carlos a hug, still whispering 'thank you' and we let go. Great, that's one thing off my chest now. Next, the kids, so I went over to them. Tommy and Tori were making the calls to their technicians, so they'll be here later today to begin repairing our morphers. I walked over to the kids, they need to make a choice.

"Hey, guys." They turned their attention to me. "I'm giving you two choices: you can remain here and figure out how to kill time or pack some of your belongings and resume your normal lives until everything is sorted out." The kids looked at each other, looking at Mack and silently conversing before turning back to me.

"We're staying, Dr. Hart, we can help in some way. Main reason: perhaps Mr. Oliver can give us some more combat lessons." I turned back to Tommy to hear his response to that. Combat lessons by my husband is not a bad idea actually.

"I don't see why not." He answered. Suddenly, the alarm went off, causing Mack to run to the console. He typed at the computers, bringing up the location, which happened to be the city centre. Next, we got satellite footage, it was Moltor's forces: the Lava Lizards laying waste on the city. I turned to the team, let's see how they handle foot soldiers that aren't Putties, Tengas, Tyrannodrones, Kelzaks, Putrids and Quantrons. Wait till they meet the Chillers. I gave Rocky the nod to morph, Ronny was already down in the SHARC to drop them off. We stood to the side, as they began the morphing sequence.

"It's Morphin' Time! Red Ranger Power!" Rocky raised his morpher, containing the Red Ape Ninja Power Coin.

"Dino Thunder! Power up!",

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form!",

"Wild Acess!" And last was Carlos,

"Let's Rocket!" After they morphed in a bright light of red, yellow, blue, white and black; Will directed them to take the fire pole down to the hangar where Ronny is waiting for them to board the SHARC. She'll then drop them off to the location. I watched as they slid down the pole, ready to get back into the action. I sighed a little, I pray everything will work out in the end, we can't have this temporary team forever and I was hoping to not hinder their personal lives. I felt Tommy's hand on my shoulder.

"You chose a good set of rangers from each team, Kim." He praised, "They'll be fine." I turned to the screen, as the Retro Rangers landed and immediately began to engage. I smiled a little, Tommy is right, they'll be fine until then. Poor Thrax is going to get the shock of his life, when he sees this, as our other enemies will. They already forgot that there are many other rangers before us. Pay back is going to be sweet, once our powers are restored.

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Next Time:

"To reconnect our morphers to the Grid, we need the crystal." Kimberly said to Tommy, her team and the Retro Rangers. Tommy didn't like where this is going. "I need to return home."…

"Guys! Look at this!" Mack exclaimed, getting his friends' attention.

"The Sword of Excelsior?" Rose frowned…

"SILVERBACK!" Thrax roared, making his trusted friend and General come running. "Zordon's daughter is getting the crystallised Morphing Grid!",

"You mean the Chaos Crystal?" He questioned,

"FIND HER AND KILL HER!" Raged Thrax, slamming his father's staff…


	8. Once a Ranger Part II - The Power Vault and The Sword of Excelsior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two separate journeys are set on course, one to find the powerful Chaos Crystal and find peace with her darker half and the other a mythical, powerful sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are few changes I made, yes adding the Chaos Crystal from the BOOM! Studios series is one. The second is the Sword of Excelsior, it doesn't really make sense for it to be in the middle of a random forest. I thought a temple is more logical and since I'm throwing some references to Greek Mythology, being that I said the crown is from Greece, the unnamed Warrior Goddess in my story is Athena the Goddess of Wisdom.
> 
> Third, now I'm adding my own lore to Power Rangers, so this is when deviation begins. The concept of the Morphin' Masters and the Emissaries also belong to BOOM! regarding to the Fates of Power, they belong to me. I am not making senesless change, I only add a change if it's going to really work and fits in with my universe.
> 
> To the song Kim is humming in the car, I'm making a reference to the God of War (2018) game. It's called Memories of Mother - Bear McCreary.
> 
> Lastly, I don't own the song: Ode To Fury - Miracle of Sound.
> 
> Enough of my lengthy rambling. Enjoy Part Two!

_"I feel the need to endanger myself every so often."_

\- Tim Daly

* * *

Chapter 8: Once a Ranger Part II - The Power Vault and The Sword of Excelsior

* * *

_ Time: Unknown… _

_ Year: 2006… _

Canon: _Once a Ranger_

( _Scene: Location Unknown and Incomprehensible_ / _No POV_ )

An untouched region far from the boundaries and laws of Space-Time rested, a region created by The Morphin' Masters should anything happen that would compromise their safety in the heart of the Morphing Grid, should The Emissaries fail to protect them. However, as time went on, when civilisations rose and fell, few beings have managed to accidentally enter the Morphing Grid or the region beyond its reach. This region, The Morphin' Masters and Emissaries call The Netherworld. No man or alien should not be able to enter either regions, but the one loophole that they failed to correct is: be in contact or hold a strong enough power source or gather enough ranger powers, it can send the bearer into one of the said regions. Very few know this knowledge, only a select, chosen by The Emissaries and approved by the Masters themselves are Ninjor - the creator of the Dinosaur and Ninja Power Coins and Dulcea - the Master Warrior of Phaedos, Guardian of the Ninjetti and the Animal Spirits, then Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar - the former White Falcon Ninjetti, a warrior, a friend, a husband and father.

The Emissaries watched the blossoming romance between Zordon of Eltar and Aria of Phaedos, the close friendship with Dulcea and Ninjor. Much to their displeasure as they watched Zordon's life being carried out, he did tell his wife a few things about The Emissaries and The Morphin' Masters; but thankfully, no more than that. The trio of constantly shape shifting spirit rangers observed as Zordon and Aria fell for each other, so much so that Aria went with Zordon to his home: Eltar. While the Elders did not approve, Zordon fought his right to betroth Aria, he already had the blessing of Aria's friend and family, Aria the same with his parents; they saw their love was so strong, they were willing to stand up against tradition. The Yellow Emissary had to admit, it was brave of them. Then their lives went off like a fairytale, they had a nice house, but living humbly among the working class citizens of Eltar and just as their masters predicted: Aria gave birth to a child, a baby girl sadly brought into the cruel universe, which was at war. To protect their child, they sent her forward in time, in hopes that evil, as The Galaxy War raged, they would never find her and use her for their personal gain.

While The Emissaries oversee the going ons of the Multiverse and the Cosmos, they do not oversee the destiny that each civilian is to live for. Destinies and prophesies are written by The Fates of Power, four beings granted the ability to see the future, write prophesies and write out the fate of every single human being and alien alike. There are a lucky few who managed to change their destiny or miraculously avoid it, but it catches up to them eventually. The Fates of Power cannot interfere with Time, but they know what they have written out will be fulfilled at a later point. The prophesy they have written is one that the Power Rangers are familiar with: the Falcon and the Crane, eternal soulmates and the strongest of the Ninjetti. The Fates don't often interact with The Emissaries, but at one single point in time, for the first time in centuries, if not longer; they did. The Emissaries came forward to convince them to rewrite the fate of a certain ranger they have laid out: the fate of the biologist Kendrix Morgan-Corbett. It was mapped out that she was to die at the hands of Psycho Pink when she discovered and retrieved the Savage Sword, while many believed she committed a selfless act, the Pink Ranger did indeed, it is not easy to give up your life for another; Kendrix was destined to die. However, The Emissaries ordered a meeting between them before the Masters to decide Kendrix's fate: whether to rewrite her destiny and allow her to return to the land of the living or keep her in the Spirit World.

The trial was long and gruelling, it lasted up to the point the Galaxy Rangers were nearly finished their journey and ended up back on Mirinoi. After hearing arguments on both sides, the Masters came to an agreement, seeing it is not easy to defeat human perseverance and spirit, on top of taking pity on Leonardo Corbett - the younger brother of Mike Corbett, they closed the meeting. The decision was that The Fates of Power rewrite Kendrix's destiny and allowed her to return home. The Fates warned that this would be the one time and obviously they kept to their word. The fate that was set for the child of Zordon and Aria was a grim one, to live a life of both hardship, happiness and when she thought her life was stable, only death will come to greet her. Unfortunately that piece of parchment of her destiny managed to slip through a small Grid Tear that The Emissaries were quick to fix. It somehow ended up in Zordon's possession, fearing what was set for his daughter, he never told Aria, nor the child's aunt and uncle; so he thought burning the parchment would prevent such a tragic destiny. Sadly, it has done the opposite and set it in stone. Kara of Eltar, sole daughter of Grand Sage Zordon of Eltar and Commander Aria of Phaedos, will die at the hands of the leader of The Armada on Eltar's twilight and it is her death, that will set of catalysts for the future of Earth-1. The other Kimberlys of other Earths have different outcomes laid out. Before that, the ones who managed to avoid their destiny altogether were Wesley Collins And Jennifer Scott - the Red and Pink Time Force Rangers. The Time Force organisation were always a finicky bunch, just like Space Petrol Delta (SPD), which were the foundations for the Time Police Force of the future.

The humans say that fate can be cruel, that saying is very much true, while The Fates can write destinies of glory, they are capable of tragedy. The Fates can defend themselves all they want, say they are carrying out the duty that The Morphin' Masters set for them, but The Emissaries think they have little emotion to humans and those who live beyond Earth, and believe that mankind is nothing but a plaything of fiends. That is exactly how they see The Fates: fiends, as they happily play on mankind's destiny, like puppets and they are the puppeteers. It's no wonder humans have come up with the phrase: ' _I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul_ '. Only they wish, however.

The two forces have gone to blows before and it took The Morphin' Masters, who created both, to cease the fight. If a fight broke out, it will strain and shatter the Morphing Grid. Therefore, one of the Masters have been appointed to watch over The Fates and make sure they did not abuse their power. The Emissaries and The Fates of Power never saw eye to eye, especially after they won the agreement to reverse Kendrix's destiny, so she could live a happy, married life with Leo Corbett. Back to the other matter at hand, when it was said some people accidentally entered the Grid and they have accepted the entry of automatons, but humans and aliens are a different story. This particular human being, who was on the hunt for the legendary Corona Aurora, it was unfortunate that his thirst for the truth ended up making him push away the family he loved. Yes, he did it for their protection, Kamdor and Miratrix were after him, there was a cruel twist of fate for him; he was supposed to die by their hands but The Emissaries, the Yellow in particular took pity and went to him, bringing him to the safety of not the Morphing Grid, but the Netherworld. She took pity because she watched his adopted daughter go through one hardship after another and it would completely break her if her father died; it was better to let his daughter hate him somewhat, than be completely broken.

The Red and Blue Emissaries are not easily moved, even though they respect mankind, but the Yellow Emissary has a lot of empathy for the life of mankind, taking particular interest in the life of the Hart Family. She watched as his daughter excelled in school, made friends, put up with bullies and the seeing the beautiful bond between father and daughter. How he became such a role model for her, until he stumbled upon the myth of the Corona Aurora and everything went downhill from there. Between working in a History Museum for some time, then meeting the young and ambitious Andrew Hartford, who is now a Doctor of Archaeology, then leaving behind his research for Hartford and his daughter; he has ended up in this strange pocket region because a higher power took genuine pity on him. For eleven years he was kept in this region, eleven years watching his daughter and her friends become something bigger than themselves. He was proud that his little cub discovered her origins, grimaced seeing the pain and hardship she went through, being unable to get on with her stepfather, shaky grounds with her mother, going from the perky and optimistic girl, to being cautious, scarred and battle worn soldier. It pained his heart that she stopped looking for him, accepting the fact assuming he his dead. The man of age fifty-six put his hand against the holo-image of his daughter, only for it to run through it. He then pulled out a photo of when she was six, the two were having another trip to the mountainside, his child, not caring that he and his ex-wife adopted her, so happy to be with him, her smile was like the sun itself. He never regretted the night he and his former lover took in the child in the cradle, with the mysterious letter and a past cloaked in shadows. Neither cared that she was from another planet, the child was left to them for a reason and this child was a refugee of a horrible war light years away from them. The historian watched her grow, go through his books like wildfire, to the point he had to take her to the local library or spend a hundred dollars on history books to keep her stimulated. Kimberly… Kara… it doesn't matter which she goes by, she was the best thing in his life and Caroline's. How could he have been so foolish to throw it all away? He was angry at himself for a long time, how could he choose a myth over his own family. Hearing his daughter's words over the years, she was right, he did abandon her. He then sighed out loud and spoke, literally into nothing.

"I wish to be with her. I have been here long enough." His voice was tried and weary, he was sick of being an observer of his daughter's life. He now wanted to be a part of it, he missed out on so much. At the corner of his eye, or a flash of red, blue and yellow reflected on the lens of his glasses.

"We have told you numerous times Dr. Hart, the barrier keeping you here is too strong." The voice belonged to that of the Red Emissary. Dr. Hart turn around, seeing The Emissaries once again.

"It is for the barrier to decide, whether to free you or not. Your yearning alone is not enough." The Blue Emissary reasoned.

"Remember, it is I who risked saving you and thus changing your destiny. We are already in the crosshairs with The Fates of Power." Added the Yellow Emissary, "You will be free soon, it won't be long for your daughter's hour of need and only then will the barrier be weak enough, for you to break through." Dr. Hart scowled at The Emissaries, as much as he used to be fascinated by them. He was just tired of being in the Netherworld, he surprised himself that he hasn't gone crazy or lost his mind. The thought of reuniting with his daughter kept him sane for the past eleven years.

"Fine." He snapped, "I'll play your fucking waiting game." For now, Dr. Hart was stuck here until then, but at least he has rekindled hope that his eleven year long suspension will be at an end and soon.

_ Next Day… _

_ 14:20… _

_ Wednesday… _

_ 9th August 2006… _

( _Scene: Andrew's Office, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

I walked or sort of limped, back and forth with a book in my hand, trying to figure out a way to restore mine and the rest of the team's powers. I can thank god that the accelerated healing has kicked in, my injury is healing faster than what Spencer calculated. The kids yesterday, watched in amazement as the Retro Rangers fought off Moltor's Lava Lizards, I was impressed myself. Rocky led the team well, they handled the foot soldiers that my team fight on a daily basis, as if they were their own foot soldiers. It was kind of… sentimental to see the rangers of past teams work together, right now, my husband is outside with them and the kids giving them combat lessons as promised. The kids did not want to return to their personal lives and wanted to help in any way they can, it seems like they feel they have a lot to live up for. Bringing myself back to the present, I growled in frustration, dumping the fifth book I went through on Andrew's desk and picked up the sixth. I'm hoping to look for other alternatives, I don't think I can put myself in the situation with the illusion again. All those feelings I buried, I don't want them to be resurfaced again too. Will life get any better for me and stop being an ass? It's like Fate has a thing or a grudge against me. 

After reading the sixth book, nothing useful and it looks like the only option is to retrieve the crystal. I think it has another name, some call it a Chaos Crystal and are very rare to come by, it makes me wonder how my father got his hands on one. It's going to be a gamble; can the crystal give as well as take? Suddenly, I was brought out of mind when I heard a knock on the door. I told the person to enter, speak of the devil, it was my husband. I put the book down on the desk and smile at him, as he closed the door.

"Hey Tommy." I greeted, "Shouldn't you be with the kids?",

"Andrew, Spencer and Mímir, along with your kids asked me to check on you." He laughed nervously. "Also, you should not be putting weight on your leg, Beautiful." Tommy stood next to me, his height clearly towering mine.

"Remember Handsome, I've been through worse. A stab to the leg is not going to stop me." That was when Tommy kissed me, which I returned. I know what he wants, especially that he closed the door behind him. "Really Tommy? Now?",

"Did I ever tell you, you look sexy in green?" He growled, making the hairs on my neck rise.

"Aw, jealous?" I mocked, "That I can pull off green better than you, Rainbow Ranger?" It seems like our hormones were going into overdrive, no pun intended now, again, Tommy lifted me onto Andrew's desk, as we kissed intensely. We tugged at each other's shirts, as we pressed into each other. Neither of us heard the door open and just like eleven years ago, it happened.

"OH MY GOD! MY EYES!" Tommy suddenly pulled away from me, as I quickly hopped down from the desk, seeing Kira at the door. She was… traumatised by the looks of it, or on the verge of gouging out her eyes. I'm somewhat shocked we didn't trigger her Ptera Scream. "Rocky sent me to find you, Dr. O." She said shakily, trying to remove the image from her brain. I decided to throw the shock back at Kira.

"Come on, Kira. I know it's a shock, but I'm pretty sure you done it with Trent." At the corner of my eye, Tommy was trying to muffle his laughter, as Kira glared at me. I think I hit a nerve, as she had a look of carefully forming her answer.

"That's different!" She countered, "This is… walking in on my two former teachers!" Kira paced for a minute or two, then spoke again. "I-I'll um… tell Rocky you're with Dr. Hart. Now, if you excuse me." The Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger was quick to leave us, slamming the door shut. When she was out of ear shot, Tommy and I burst out into laughter. It took us a few minutes to get our shit together and calm down, Rex wasn't with me, he's outside with everyone else.

"Please don't tell Andrew we were about to have sex on his office desk. He might burn it and buy a new one.",

"Our secret is safe, Beautiful. Come on, put the book down and let's head outside." He suggested, "You could do with some air." I sighed, shaking my head, but he's right. Air is not going to kill me. I followed Tommy out of the office, to head outside to meet the other rangers and the Overdrive kids.

_ 14:30… _

( _Scene: Gardens, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Tommy and I walked out to the kids, just seeing Rocky judo flip Mack to the ground. I swear the Ape Ninjetti better not have broken my poor Red Ranger. I had to stop for a moment, leaning on Tommy's shoulder for support to ease the pain, more like ache in my leg. God damn it, when our powers get restored, Silverback is going to be in for a world of hurt and maybe I might sever his wing, like I did to his brother. During breakfast Dax asked me if I considered having a pair crutches until the stitches could be removed, but I declined. I soldiered through worse pain than this, the most painful I can remember is the landmine on Mirinoi, definitely not fun. Oh yes, I forgot Halyley and Cam have arrived yesterday, the two are already in the throes of repairing our morphers with help from Andrew. Carlos said Andros has picked up Alpha, but they'll be another day or even less before reaching Earth, Andros probably has the Megaship at full speed. To be fair, I can't wait to meet Alpha again, not since… not since Aegis and I left Eltar five years ago. That's alright, we can wait a day. Spencer goes around to make sure we're eating properly and at the end of the day, Andrew promises more pizza. I feel sorry for him, with Ronny here, then add Rocky on top of that, he might order a near-to one-hundred dollars worth of pizza at extra large size. Along with that, I think everyone is getting used to Mímir's presence, the last person to faint was surprisingly Rocky. Anyway, the one thing they're enjoying about Mímir, is the stories he has to tell and it's fun watching them circle around him like children, whenever story time begins. It's actually adorable, they did that last night and I managed to snap a picture. It's one for the photo book, they'll appreciate the memories captured when they see them, when the adventure is over.

Tommy and I watched as the kids and the veteran rangers shook hands, thanking them for the lessons. Poor Kira is still mortified after witnessing what my husband and I did, she'll recover from that shock, eventually. I mean, she got it easy, just ask poor Billy. Speaking of Billy, I forgot that he came too. I swear to God I'm getting Tommy's swiss cheese brain. He hitched a ride from Hayley and insisted that his darling wife did not need to keep him company. When Billy arrived, Rose was fawning over him, asking about his projects and his work. Poor guy didn't know how to handle Rose until I got her to calm down. She still couldn't believe that I was still close friends with the CEO of Cranston Technologics. Then, to top it all off, because Rose seems to tick off all the boxes for the type of person he was looking for and offered to give her an internship for the duration of… seemingly he found out she was doing her Post Doctorate and along with that, offered to pay off the rest of her expenses. I might have slipped a word as well, I told Tommy that Billy should offer a place to Rose. I promised Rose from the very beginning I would put in a good word for her and a Hart never reneges on a promise. I meant my words. Of course, Rose figured it out and I found myself crushed in a hug after they shortly arrived.

I then heard Rex bounding towards me, with Hayley, Billy, Cam and Andrew. Looks like they all needed fresh air too. I was still leaning on Tommy to take the weight off my leg and I swear, I can see Billy and Hayley roll their eyes behind me.

"Really sis, you should get crutches." I turned after hearing Billy speak, then there was Daedalus sitting on his shoulder. He had a look on his face that said: ' _I agree_ '. Hayley butted in too.

"Even though your stitches are coming out today, Kim; your leg needs to recuperate." Cam rightfully kept quiet, he heard a lot of things about my temper or just doesn't want to step on me the wrong way. All he did was clear his throat and adjust his glasses. Despite his sarcastic and snippy attitude, he's quite the teddy bear.

"Did you guys come here to fix our morphers or mother me?" I grinned,

"Both." Cam snickered, which caused me to glare at the former Green Samurai Ranger. Good Lord, help me if you are watching.

"I hate you all." I groaned, as Tommy patted my back. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound coming from Andrew's device. Looks like, he created something to monitor or get updates from the base below his mansion. He whipped out the device, which looked like a phone from his pocket. I went over to him and looked, definitely activity, and it's Fluious' turn to play. The Retro Rangers knew in an instant duty calls once again, they all followed Ronny inside to board the SHARC. With them gone, the other Overdrive Rangers decided to monitor the fight in the Overdrive Base. I need to get ourselves reconnected to the Morphing Grid and I guess retrieving the Chaos Crystal is our only option. Billy was giving me a look, he knew I was in deep thought, my ' _planning_ ' face; last time he saw that was when he was on Aquitar and we spoke over the communication line. It was coming up to the war. While everyone else went down to the base, Cam and Andrew, Mímir included, Billy and Hayley stayed behind. Shortly, I was just the three of us and Tommy, along with my service dog. It was the Blue Wolf Ninjetti to break the silence.

"What's on your mind, Kim? Talk to us.",

"It's completely theoretical, but I know the one object that can reconnect my team's morphers to the Grid and mine." I revealed,

"What's that Beautiful?" Tommy questioned. I turned to him.

"Remember the crystal we used, when we got sent to Earth-X?" His eyes widened.

"THAT crystal!?" He exclaimed,

"I read up more about it in my spare time. According to the texts father left us, it was also known as a Chaos Crystal." I explained,

"Don't like the name." Muttered Hayley, loud enough for all of us to hear. Yeah, I agree, it is an ironic name.

"Kim, this is risky." My husband reasoned, "We only know that the crystal can take, not give.",

"It maybe our only chance." I argued. Tommy, Billy and Hayley gave me a concerned look, almost as if they're wondering where I'm taking this; but they know the answer already. They can read it on my face. "I need to go home. I have to return to Angel Grove."

_ 14:45… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Rangers watched on the screens as their predecessors fought the Chillers. Just like the Lava Lizards, they are tossing them around and at the moment, they're fighting them unmorphed! To be fair, with the prowess and dexterity they are witnessing, they would give them a run for their money. The kids watched how the former rangers utilised their environment to their advantage, Rocky, Alyssa and Carlos are doing well for having no superpowers. Kira and Tori, at separate stages were adept in close quarter combat, but then they used their own powers; Kira's was a high frequency super sonic screech, that almost blew their eardrums over the screen and Tori was using crazy ninja powers to control water. However, there was one thing they could all see: fluidity, they worked together despite being from different teams. Neither one was trying to outdo the other. The kids watched as the rangers dealt with the last Chiller, four of them linking their hands to form a cross chain or a small jumping platform. Rocky gave Alyssa the nod, she ran towards them, jumping onto their hands and in synchronised time, they pushed their arms up, giving the White Ranger momentum. Alyssa flew into the air and delivered the final sharp kick to end the last batch of Fluious' Chillers. Smiling at their work, they high-fived each other and decided to return to the mansion. Ronny, inside the SHARC, hovered above them after going into stealth mode, lowered the ropes so Rocky and the gang can attach themselves to be lifted up.

The Overdrive Rangers burst into laughter when the heard Rocky saying he was hungry. Ronny has the best eating partner now, after hearing stories about Rocky, Mack suddenly felt very bad about his dad's bank account. He'll possibly empty out his fortune by the end of this. Mack turned around to see Spencer was gone, it looks like he might have gone off to find their mentor and remove her stitches. The Red Ranger sometimes wishes his mentor would be less stubborn and listen to people, once this is all over, Dr. Hart definitely needs a holiday and he could almost guess she and her husband never had a proper honeymoon either. Hopefully, the Morphing Grid might give her some slack. Shortly, the heard the elevator, watching as Ronny and the Retro Rangers stepped out, stretching after the fight. The kids now see and understand why Dr. Hart pushed them to master close quarter combat without their powers, especially after watching the fight on the screen. None of the team morphed at all, because it wasn't required. Suddenly, they all went silent hearing Rocky's stomach growl, followed by the others, he turned to the younger rangers and smiled. Rose gestured to head upstairs and grab a bite, it's not surprising fighting makes them burn off a lot of calories and they left the base to get something to eat or more like raiding the food supplies.

_ 15:50… _

( _Scene: Kitchen, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Tommy helped my team and the veteran rangers make some sandwiches to stave their hunger, before they empty the food in the kitchen. I ran my hand through Rex's fur to distract myself as Spencer removed my stitches, the wound courtesy of Silverback. It will still need to be bandaged, but I'm out of the danger zone of possible infection. That's a relief anyway and less things to worry about, particularly for Tommy. He just hates it when I get hurt. Even though he knows I can defend myself, my husband respects that there's a side of me that will remain and Eltarian soldier, but he can't help himself when he plays White Knight in shining armour. I heard the last snip of the scissors and the old butler carefully pulled out the sutures. Once that was done, he cleaned my somewhat healed wound with an antiseptic and put on a clean dressing. It might scar, who knows, I think I lost track of how many I have now, but Tommy doesn't care, none of my friends do; they see me for who I am and my battered body are just war scars and they can tell a story. I stood up again, my injury is still sensitive to pressure being put on it, but it's actually more bearable now. Tyzon placed a sandwich in front of me, which I smiled, taking it from him. The good old ham and cheese sandwich, certainly Tommy can't mess that one up, his mother did make sure that he can cook for himself before going off to… I think it was Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I'm amazed he hasn't forgotten to attend his classes, but he had Hayley to remind him and I heard she was like a hawk. Tommy told me some of the stories, much to ranger technician's embarrassment. Rose brought me out of my thoughts.

"Dr. Hart, I was wondering… why do you have a dog?" She asked me, "Is he just a pet?",

"Yes, but he's also my service dog." I turned to Tommy, "You forgot to bring his vest, am I right?",

"Maybe." Making us all laugh, so Hayley joined in.

"By maybe, he means he did. It was the same thing he did, when he forgot to set his alarm for his nine o'clock lectures.",

"HAYLEY!" Tommy yelled, out of mortification. Then his face changed, uh oh, looks like Handsome is going to turn the table on her. "You think that's hilarious? I was on hangover duty throughout my three years because you challenged people to a drinking contest!" I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing, as Hayley went as red as Rocky's Ninjetti outfit. Oh god, I really don't want to know their shenanigans in their college years. How bad was it? It makes me somewhat glad that I was on Eltar on for all this. The kids on the other hand, were snickering because they couldn't believe this is same person who is quoted as the ' _Longest Serving Ranger_ '. Then Rocky turned on me, after Tommy had his go on Hayley.

"You're not out of the water, Lieutenant." He grinned, "You started a lot of fights at the inn on Eltar." My rangers turned to me gobsmacked, they didn't think I would be the type to start fights. Hello! I did not start those fights! Thanks for ruining my image Rocky. I covered my face to hide my shame.

"Fuck you, DeSantos." I muttered. Then I turned the tide on him. "What about when Zedd put you under a spell and you goofed around the kid's playground, instead of helping us fight a monster that used to be a Pachinko Machine!" My statement had Tommy laughing, as Rocky sputtered like a car. Alyssa, Kira, Tori and Carlos were all snickering at him. I also turned on my husband. "Then you, Handsome." Tommy gulped. "You and Tanya got zapped, making you two sing for nearly the entire day." Rocky groaned upon remembering that time, during their Zeo days.

"Oh god! It was like listening to a bad musical. Tommy was really, quite the baritone… or maybe bass. Tanya was definitely a soprano." Tommy glared Rocky for recalling that memory. Then Billy joined in too, not wanting to be left out of the fun.

"You think that's bad, Rocky?" He said the Ape Ninjetti, "Try walking in on the two having a major make out session, that almost stepped into further territory! On the paw of my Wolf Ninja Zord! I had to sterilise it for a week!",

"That explains why you couldn't look at the two for a while." He chuckled, getting the image. I saw and heard Kira silently groan, you're lucky you got off easy Yellow Dino Ranger. Tommy and I were blushing fiercely and Hayley actually had a horrified look on her.

"Watching the two of you get lectured by Zordon was… undoubtedly amusing to watch." Billy included. God, now he was smirking. Tommy and I growled at him, our eyes flashing red and green.

"Fuck off!" We both said in harmony. It made the Blue Ninjetti Ranger cringe, but it was primarily the simultaneous glowing eyes. Oh yes, since the kids are here with us, I need to break the news to them. After talking to Hayley and Billy, with Tommy, he has agreed to bring me to Angel Grove to recover the Chaos Crystal. We might be gone for several hours, but if we have to, we'll spend the day. I just hope they can handle things without me monitoring activity. I got the Overdrive Rangers' attention and they looked at me, wondering what I was going to tell them.

"I know a way to relink our morphers to the Grid, but the object required is in Angel Grove or well… outside the city boundaries.",

"Then we'll come with you!" Mack said eagerly, but I shook my head.

"No, you have to remain here. Please kids, trust me.",

"I don't like this." Dax voiced, the others voicing their agreement. We all formed such a close bond, they're afraid if anything happens to me. "None of us do." I glanced at Kira, she personally knows the feeling too, she, Conor, Ethan and Trent all found a way to tug heartstrings at their former teacher. The multicoloured ranger treated them all as his kids, even though my team had it slightly rougher, we have this strong student-mentor bond and so strong, they're like my own kids. Tommy spoke on my behalf.

"Trust your mentor, kids. Where Kim and I are going, is something we experienced before. Neither of us want to endanger your lives any further.",

"Alright." Smiled Mack, "Go get that I object. Come back to us, promise?",

"I promise. Thank you for trusting me." I said to them all. "I better pack some spare clothes, then." Getting up from my seat, I headed upstairs with Tommy's help. He said if we have to spend the day in Angel Grove, we can stay over in his parents house or with Kat, once I don't get lectured. I seem to be made out as the worst when it comes to idiotic things, more so than the Reds. We'll think about it on the way.

_ 17:50… _

( _Scene: Tommy's Car, Road To Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

It actually didn't take myself and Tommy long to pack, it was only things we needed for the day or perhaps two, you never know. They promised to hold the fort, while Rocky and the rest of the Retro Rangers defend the city during our absence. I really hope my theory is correct, about the Chaos Crystal being able to give and not just take; Billy and Hayley are the same. For all I know, it's our only chance to get reconnected to the Morphing Grid. For my service dog's safety, Rex is staying back at the mansion, much to his dismay, so the Overdrive Rangers and Spencer are tasked at taking care of him. I pray he will not have gained weight when I come back, he's already bigger than the average German Shepherd and that's impressive. I leaned on my head, supported on my hand against the window, as I stared out into the vast road, taking in the scenery. When I was on Eltar, healing, I often took strolls around the fields outside the city walls, it was relaxing and I usually meditated then. On the odd occasion Uncle Ninjor and Aunt Dulcea would join me and when mother could get away from her duties, she did too. This is when I'm not drowning myself in volumes of scrolls and manuscripts in Eltar's archives. With the lack of music or a radio playing, I began to unintentionally hum a tune mother would ' _sing_ ', I guess. It sounded like Old Norse and Hela did reveal to me that my parents did visit Midgard at one point. When I thought about it, mother was singing in Old Norse, I guess one of the Gods or Goddesses from either Vanaheimr or Asgard taught her the song. I didn't get any of the lyrics because of the language and I wasn't adept in Old Norse, must add that to my list when I go through ancient texts from Scandinavian countries. As I said, Icelandic is the closest you'll get to Old Norse. The notes though, are unforgettable.

The song, there was something… beautiful, mournful about it, but hopeful at the same time. It was… as if it was meant to bring you peace. I recall when I had a nightmare during the early days of my return after the attack on Reefside, mother sung it to me, to calm me down. It was the first time I heard her sing, it put me at ease and brought me back to the real world. That was when my husband spoke to me.

"What are you humming, Kim?" He asked me, "It sounds lovely.",

"An old tune mother sung, either around home or to bring me back from a nightmare. Apparently, my parents visited Midgard before they had me." I told him and Tommy almost choked.

"Midgard!? As in…",

"It's called Earth-10." I grinned, "I know because myself and two of the Overdrive Rangers had to go there, to retrieve Mjölnir.",

"It's better than Earth-X." Tommy replied, keeping his eye on the road. The last thing we need is a car accident. "Still terrifies me to this day. You think the rebels are OK? I won't be surprised if Firebird's army and Ranger Battlions are still around." I brushed a piece of my hair back.

"If I'm honest, I won't be surprised if the Eltarians gathered their belongings and left the battalion high and dry. Firebird was their drive to continue serving.",

"I hope so too." The rest of the car towards Angel Grove was in silence. We were an hour and a half into the drive, somewhat half way till we reach home. It might be a good idea to sleep for the night, then let Tommy refill the fuel tank before heading to the location of the Power Vault. I just pray it's at the exact same co-ordinates, it's a good thing I memorised them. I also hope with all the rangers bunking in Andrew's home, I'll be surprised if it's still one piece, Rocky better not be pulling pranks, otherwise there will be war and I will have a few words with him. My poor service dog is possibly wishing he was with me. My mind further drifted to the vault, will the same illusion spell my father casted be there? Though… there can be variations from one Earth to another, perhaps my father casted a different spell here, maybe that invisible wall won't be there either. God, the Great Power, please let this be a smooth run and it won't involve fighting something, my leg is still recovering and I would be in for a hell of a lecture should Spencer and Mímir find out. No matter what I do, my excursions find a way to reach the ears of my friends and Tommy, along with my cousin. Everything does.

_ With The Overdrive Rangers… _

_ 18:15… _

( _Scene: Living Room, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The powerless Overdrive Rangers sat in the living room somewhat bored and were not exactly in the mood to hear another of Mímir's stories. Mack on the other hand, was reading a book, hoping there was another source out there that can recover their powers. The method their mentor is taking is dangerous and she, along with her husband didn't want to put them in further danger. The mansion was quiet because Moltor and Fluious sent out another wave of Lava Lizards and Chillers to attack the city; two attacks in one day, it's an unusual strategy. It was kind of strange for them, their enemies have been attacking the city more and more, rather using the absence of the main rangers to search for the jewels. Well… with the Retro Rangers around on temporary duty, it does put a dent or a delay in their initial plans, so it looks like they're trying to put the veteran rangers out of commission first. They bet their enemies are not happy with Thrax because he didn't take into account the previous teams before Overdrive. For the Power Rangers, there's always backup when needed.

Mack was sitting beside Rose as she worked on her thesis, the technicians were below in the base tweaking their morphers, they're nearly finished, which they're all glad about. They briefly got to meet Andros, after he dropped off Alpha 5 a few hours ago. The Red Astro Ranger couldn't stay, due to political affairs and Alpha is now, already inside the Morphing Grid trying to fix the damaged compartment that stores their powers. Alpha was a little sad he didn't get to meet Kimberly, she was already gone with Tommy, but was glad to see some old, familiar faces and new ones too. Tyzon was busy cuddling Dr. Hart's service dog Rex, who was enjoying the attention, Dax was watching YouTube videos and then Ronny and Will were listening to music. Hopefully by tomorrow or the day after, they'll be back in action and give Thrax and his goons the beating of a lifetime.

Mack suddenly leaned forward when something in the book caught his attention, Rose noticed, putting her laptop down. She leaned over to see what made him curious. On the page was a drawing of a sword and not just any sword, it's the legendary Excelsior, according to the text. It could be their ticket to getting their powers back. Mack was having the idea they should look for it, they won't be able to sneak out discreetly, but Mímir, Spencer or both could vouch for them. They hate to duck out on the veterans and leave their mentor in the dark. The rangers looked at each other, seemingly to be mentally agreeing with each other, that they should all look for the sword and it would be safer in their hands and as a part of their arsenal, it might even in the fight against Thrax. After much talking among themselves, they came to an agreement, they'll leave early in the morning to find the sword, sneak out before anyone wakes up. However, they decided to tell Spencer and Mímir of their, so the two could cover for them, until they get back, they pray before Dr. Hart and her husband Mr. Oliver. The last thing they want is to be stuck in a lecture by their mentor.

By pure chance of luck, Mímir came walking… floating in, accompanied by Spencer. Looks like Mack's dad is still down in the base, which is good. He might object to their idea. Spencer examined the look on each of the kids' faces and could tell they were planning something and not the good kind, it was more leaning towards the stupid kind. Closing the door and ensuring they were alone, he cleared his throat, wanting an answer from one of them, to explain what they were thinking of.

"Rangers, care to explain?" The kids looked at one another, before turning to Mack. Technically, it is his idea and they're just following their leader, but they agreed to follow him to obtain the sword. There was no way they would let him go on his own, they are a team to the end. Mack sighed to explain their plan, but good old Mímir slips in some snark to lighten the air.

"Wait! Don't tell us!" The tone of his voice was comedically dramatic. "You six are going to do something crackers and pray your mentor won't find out, you have gone and done something stupidly dangerous. Am I correct, lads and lassies?" The six rangers mouths were dropped, trying to figure out how to reply to the former advisor of The Allfather. Mímir has practically summed up what they were going to do and to be fair, going after the Sword of Excelsior is dumb on their part. They have no powers and what if Thrax figured out their plan? They'll be in the deep then. Still, they're the Power Rangers, they have learned to work as a team, despite their ups, downs and differences and in the end, it made them closer, become good friends and is making them better people. If Dr. Hart's method doesn't work by some stroke of bad luck, the sword will be their only hope. The Rememberer spoke to them and sighed. "Alright kids, whatever it is you are doing. Come back safe for Kara's sanity and… just be careful. Spencer and I will vouch for you six." The kids sighed in relief, despite his short time with them here, Mímir is someone they can genuinely trust.

"Thanks, Mímir." Said Mack, "We owe you one." With that, the kids grabbed their belongings and ran up the stairs to do some research and planning.

_ Next Day… _

_ 5:30… _

_ Thursday… _

_ 10th August 2006… _

( _Scene: Outside Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

After intensive planning the night before, the kids managed to come up with a solid plan, to sneak out of the mansion long before anyone wakes up. They are thankful that they have Spencer and Mímir's support, the two will make up a story for their absence if Andrew and company notices. The person they don't want to notice or even know is their mentor, if she miraculously returns before they do. Mack and his team knows what it is like to get lectured by her, Tyzon is yet to experience that, but he agreed, that he rather not. He would like to be in one piece for his fiancé when or if he joins her in the afterlife, Dr. Hart might send him there in tiny vials of mercury, with an apology attached to it. Five of the rangers packed up the jeep with any necessities such as food, water, spare clothes and tools; along with the spare Overdrive Defenders. Rose was able to get some down in the base by going invisible, to avoid the hidden cameras and knew where the blindspots were, then Ronny was running reconnaissance around the mansion to make sure no one was up. To their relief, everything is going smoothly and according to plan.

Ronny speeded back after doing another round of recon just to be sure and gave them the all clear. Mack opened the garage door, which surprisingly released little noise, so they are not compromised yet. With that, they all hopped into the seven-seater jeep, Mack took the driver's seat, Rose took the passenger since she was tasked operating the navigation system, while Will, Dax, Ronny and Tyzon took the back. To be fair, Mack was adamant in driving, because they all knew, if Ronny drove, she might have them end up in an overnight jail cell for breaking every single known rules of the road and speeding will be the primary one; taking into account, her record and reputation in the Formula One racing world. With that, Mack inserted the keys into the ignition, turned it on and pressed down on the accelerator. Mack drove the jeep onto the driveway as the garage door automatically closed, turned the wheel and the Overdrive Rangers exited the gates of the mansion, now on their quest to find the Sword of Excelsior. Unbeknownst to them, someone actually spotted them leaving, the person was looking out the window after hearing something and saw the kids just driving off. The guest who saw the Overdrive Rangers leave clicked his/her tongue.

 _"What are you kids up to?"_ The witness thought.

_ Back To Tommy and Kimberly… _

_ 6:30… _

( _Scene: Cranston Household, Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Well, Handsome thought it was the brightest idea to go Billy's house to spend the night, before heading out to retrieve the Chaos Crystal. Billy wouldn't have minded us bunking at his place, Kat was there to keep us company, fed, watered and interrogate the hell out of us! When Tommy told her the plan to get mine and my team's power back up and running, she didn't have the claws out, but by god she can rant about my stupidity and Tommy's. Kat said to us right out that we're as bad as each other, on top of the fact I'm wearing his first ranger colour and to top that, she said the exact same thing as Rocky, not word for word, but close. The fact that I'm going to be another Tommy running around if I get my hands on white, red and black. Like I said from the very beginning when I accepted the morpher from Andrew after my capture: expect colour swap jokes. Oh! Following that, I got lectured when my husband told her outright that I am injured, after she saw me walk into her house last night limping, thanks for supporting me Handsome. It's nice to know that there are friends to lecture me, the same way I lecture the kids. I'll be lucky to keep my sanity intact. I'm even amazed that none of the others, apart from Rocky know about my injury.

So, I did have to tell her that, as she served breakfast for us and herself, that Goldar has a brother and that very brother has teamed up with Thrax, Zedd and Rita's son. Kat actually shivered upon hearing that and now, Silverdar is after to avenge his brother's death. Last time I checked, I only knocked him out just after hearing the sniper line was breached. I did see him turn to dust, unless I did wound him severely wound him when I went on that rampage after Bohan's death. No wonder Silverdar is after me, I was the last person to fight Goldar and injure him to the point of death, but father's purification wave finished him off. That explains why his younger brother wants to kill me. After finishing breakfast, Tommy got up to help Kat clear the dishes and did the same, only for a firm hand to push me back to my seat. I looked to see it was Kat who did it and she was giving me a stern glare.

"You will remain seated, young lady." I opened my mouth to object, I just want to be helpful! Kat gave me the gesture to zip it. "No excuses! Kim, your leg is still healing after you got fucking stabbed. Rest your leg!" I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Fine.",

"Good. You do remember that Aegis decided to move back here with Cassie, so don't make me call your cousin." She threatened. Oh… yeah… I kind of did forget that, last year Aegis managed to save up enough money to buy a house here in Angel Grove, so Cassie could be nearer to her family. Anyway, Reefside isn't a long drive compare to San Angeles which is a land locked city than a coastal one. Therefore, he won't have much trouble commuting to Reefside and back, neither will Cassie, plus; their move is underdstandable, Aegis met Cassie while she was in High School living here. There was something he loved about Angel Grove, more so than Reefside. Tommy and I get away with it because we live in seclusion, within the woods nestling outside Reefside. Anyway, I held my tongue to not answer Kat any further, I already got the claws a few weeks ago when myself, Mack and Rose returned from Midgard. Then Kat spoke again. "So, why is it that you two are here?" Tommy jumped in to explain.

"Kim and I heading to the Power Vault. It should be in the exact same location as the one on Earth-X. Kimberly needs the Chaos Crystal to relink her's and her team's morphers to the Morphing Grid.",

"However, the nature of the crystal is completely theoretical. All we know from our experience on Earth-X is that it is capable of taking back the Power." Kat sighed out loud, holding her head. It looks like we have given her headache. I just realised I sounded like her husband Billy.

"Sometimes, I think Kim, you are more stupid than ten Red Rangers combined after that Forever Red mission." I was about to argue about that statement, Tommy tried to defend himself, even though she can be right, but we were stopped. "I'll go with you two. You'll need an extra pair of eyes and ears, plus a ranger just in case.",

"I don't want to endanger you, Kat. The help is appreciated though." I smiled. Kat got up to the hidden safe in the kitchen, that concealed behind a painting. The safe looked complex and is definitely Billy's design. She typed in the password of the safe, which it accepted and the safe door unlocked. Kat pulled her Zeonisers and left her Wind Chaser Turbo morpher and key untouched, she admits that she prefers the Zeo Powers over the Turbo and wishes that Cassie kept them. Well, we really can't to afford to waste any more time, for all I know Thrax could be onto us. Kat sealed the safe, placing the painting back over it. Everything else was pretty much tidy, our belongings were in the car because we only planned to stay for the night.

Kat helped me back to the car as Tommy locked up the house for her. The Pink Zeo Ranger chose to sit in the back, as Tommy climbed into the jeep. He turned on the ignition as I typed the co-ordinates I memorised into the GPS and with that, we took off.

_ Two and Half Hours Later… _

_ 8:50… _

( _Scene: Power Vault, Desert, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

Tommy screeched the car to a halt after we reached our destination. Jesus, I wasn't expecting my husband's old racing skills to kick since there wasn't heavy traffic and of course, we turned onto a dirt road. It wasn't long before we made it to the desert and he was free to hit the accelerator. I turned back to check on Kat, she looks a little green after that experience, but she managed to collect herself. We unbuckled our seat belts and got out of the jeep, Tommy locked his car and stuffed the keys into his pocket, also grabbing some flashlights. From the distance, I could see a single stone sitting right where the steps of the vault should be. Huh? Just like Earth-X, there does seem to be some form of consistency between Earths, but always keep in mind for variations. Neither Tommy nor myself know if that creepy illusion chamber will be there. Kat was staring at me as I walked with them. The Morphing Grid is still working wonders, my leg is still healing and I'm not limping that much anymore. I turned to Kat to ask what she was looking at.

"Sorry, it's still weird seeing you in green." She giggled, "You spent five years wearing pink and now this." My husband was chuckling with her too.

"I guess I was starting to grow out of pink." I teased. We stopped at the stone marker, so I got down to work to see where the switch on it was. I ran my hand along the stone until I felt the button and pushed it. Kat actually yelped, as the stone stairs revealed themselves while the sand sunk. She was amazed that my father built this, to be fair, even I am too. Where he got the resources is beyond me, unless the vault is actually older than it looks. Once that was done, we headed for the front entrance, which, as we expected was sealed by a password protected door. I pray the password is the same. I typed in the dates of birth of mine, mother's and father's and pushed enter. The passcode was accepted, thank god everything is going smoothly for now, the door opened allowing us to enter. Switching on the flashlights, we stepped inside.

As we walked through the chamber, Kat was admiring the architecture and the designs on the walls, looking at the murals, paintings and the stone carvings. They all depicted Eltar's history and victorious battles. My home planet's entire history, right here on Earth, father most likely left it for me; he knew that he wouldn't be here to tell my birth home's past, but this place would. I wonder did he leave a family tree here too? I would love to know who my grandparents and great-grandparents were, including my ancestors. I'll have to come here another time, we're here for the crystal, not history unfortunately. It wasn't long for us to reach the central chamber, the main chamber will be further inside. Inside, it was just like Earth-X, we saw the old Thunder Slingers and the Sword of Light, on the other side were volumes of manuscripts from various times of Eltar's past. Definitely coming back here.

"This place is amazing!" Kat exclaimed, really admiring the interior, running her hand along the slingers and the sword. She quickly withdrew her hand from the sword with a hiss. "It's still sharp.",

"No shit, Kitty Kat." I teased, making her roll her eyes. I guess my level of snark and sarcasm developed a little more when I was in the army. The soldiers will do and say many things to roast you, so you have to quickly master wit to roast them back. Learn that and the results are extremely satisfying. I put quite a few soldiers in their place and sputtering like a car as their comrades laughed at them. You have to roll with the punches when hanging out with your comrades. Tommy walked over to the entrance of the next chamber to see if that invisible wall is there, he put his hand up to it and about to press firmly. Suddenly, when he pushed his hand forward, his whole body went forward without warning! Tommy fell flat on his front. Kat and I ran over to see if he was alright. Kat helped him up.

"Was not expecting that. Looks like that's the first difference discovered." He said. Good, no walls, which means we can all pass through. Pointing our flashlights forward, we walked through the corridor to reach the next chamber, well… the main chamber, I guess there's only two chambers in this vault. After walking for five minutes, we found ourselves in the second chamber, Tommy and I noticed it was very different to Earth-X, way different. No illusion spell, so it seems like father was being merciful; however, he did something completely different. In front of us was a single pillar of brilliant white light, I mean it's almost white as or whiter than Tommy's Tigerzord ranger suit and Falcon Ninjetti outfit. Well then, there's the second difference. What the hell does my father expect us to do with this?

Kat stepped forward, to touch the light, unfortunately, it electrocuted her, making her recoil her hand. I tried and so did Tommy, but none of us could do it. Is the crystal inside the light? That's one way to keep it safe, too safe, actually better than nearly psychologically scarring myself and Aegis. How are we supposed to get it? It's not allowing Tommy and Kat to touch and it certainly is not allowing an Eltarian like me either. What are going to do? We need that crystal. Kat suddenly found an inscription on the floor, but said she couldn't read it. It's in my native tongue, that explains why she can't read it, I have been teaching Tommy Eltarian, but it's slow work.

"Can you read it out, please?" Kat asked. I nodded and began to translate the the words on the floor.

"The light accepts the purest of hearts within unity. White is the symbolism of protection and understanding. Enter the light to find yourself and that you seek." Tommy and Kat were frowning at the cryptic wording, either father wrote this or he found a passage and wrote it on the floor. I wish father was still here, I had so many questions, but I can talk to mother too.

"Maybe you and Tommy can enter it. 'Purest of hearts within unity' and isn't the colour usually symbolised in marriage?",

"Kat's got a point there, Beautiful." Said Tommy, agreeing with Kat.

"How? The light electrocutes us if we touch it." I countered,

"Then we fight it and push through." He smiled, with little or fear on his face. I held Tommy's hand, squeezing it.

"I trust you. Let's do it.",

"I'll stay here and make sure no friends of yours attempt to intrude." Kat said to us, preparing herself to morph at a moment's notice. I guess it was a good idea to bring her here. Myself and Tommy approached the light, both of us putting our hands against the light. It began to electrocute us, but we fought against it and like Tommy said: push forward and push we did. Slowly but surely, it felt like our bodies were being burned from the inside, we continued moving though, engulfing ourselves into the light pillar and our entire surroundings went literally white.

_ With The Overdrive Rangers… _

_ 11:30… _

( _Scene: Forest, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

After reaching the borders of their destination, it was clear the forest was too dense to travel by car, so the kids resorted to go the rest of the journey by foot. Rose was handling the GPS, and so far, they were on the right track; it'd be just quite a long walk. From what Mack read, the Sword of Excelsior was kept inside a hidden temple, in a stone altar, guarded by the mythical unnamed Warrior Goddess. It was theorised that it was the very sword that King Arthur wielded, the legendary sword Excalibur, the weapon he used to lead The Knights of the Round Table to battle. However, Excalibur was retrieved from the lake, given by the Lady of the Lake that resided there, but that was all the way in England back in ancient times or it supposedly happened. How did Excelsior find its way here? Did something happen that Arthur was unfit to wield the weapon for good? Was it actually a gift by the Warrior Goddess? Are the texts about King Arthur and his Knights actually a lie? In her spare time, Rose listened to a recorded podcast from the university Dr. Hart got her Post Doctorate from. She was doing a seminar to another group of Final Year undergraduates and one comment she made, actually popped out to her: ' _History is not as black and white as we all assume. As a historian, reading texts; always keep an open mind and be prepared to question the writer, the philosopher, the scholar, the poet. For all we know, they may be biased, prejudiced, blindly supportive of one side. The texts could be lying to us, therefore our history could be incorrect, if that is the case; then where is the truth?_ ' Dr. Hart could be right, the legend of King Arthur could be a lie or some parts is a lie, perhaps Merlin is an excellent and loved advisor, but may not be a sorcerer.

History is really a lot more complex than mankind thought, her mentor is really ahead of her peers, but she guesses it could be why some other peers may possibly feel threatened by her. For all she knows, they felt threatened by Dr. Hart, all they see is another Dr. Kevin Hart and if they wanted to, ruin her reputation and perceive her to be as crazy as her adoptive father. Rose looked down at the GPS to make sure they were on the right track, they still were, it's just a long walk. Another comment made by her mentor at her seminar a few years ago came to her mind: ' _Truth. It's an abstract word and is not as simple as it sounds. In history, what is the truth? Truth can be manipulated in a way it appears to be the truth. Within truth, there is lies, the texts you read could be wrong. I like to call it false truth, so the question is: where is it? This is why I think we need to work together more with archaeologists, they seek the truth too. We are different professions, examine evidence in different methods, but we have the same goal. It's truth. We are searching for the truth and it may take years, most of will be dead and leaving the next generation to continue our work. However, I think at some point, we will achieve absolute truth and have an encyclopaedia of Earth's history._ ' Dr. Hart was not scared of asking hard questions, deviating from her peers, being the black sheep. It's no wonder other historians were afraid of her, they were scared of looking into the impossible. Nothing seemed to have scared their mentor, the Green Ranger always looked up to her dad, who was also a historian. He gave her a sense of fearlessness, to never be scared of the unknown, history was always about the unknown, it's no surprise why the two were so close to each other before disaster struck the unfortunate Hart family.

Suddenly, Rose was brought out of her thoughts when the GPS began beeping, indicating they have reached their desired destination. To their dismay, it only led them to a cliff face. At the bottom was solid ground, so it appeared that they were… standing right on top of the temple. They turned to Will and Tyzon who were carrying the excavation and climbing gear, therefore, they began to set up, so they could safely scale down the cliff. It took them thirty minutes to set up three climbing ropes, so it meant two on each one. They took a further ten minutes to get into their harnesses and ensure they were securely strapped to them, last thing Mack needed was getting a team member killed and enduring his mentor's wrath. The Red Ranger volunteered to go first, with Will following him as they attached the hook onto the rope. They began to scale down and it appeared everything was alright, so the remaining four followed. They finally descended the cliff face, detaching themselves from the rope and dumped their harnesses at the foot of the cliff. They were further disappointed at the fact it appeared to be an ordinary cliff, but Mack wasn't easily convinced, there had to be something unusual and Rose was one hundred percent sure the GPS is not lying and is updated to the latest software. Getting an idea, Mack began to knock his hand against the rock and repeated it several times, if the temple was right below them, the entrance is somewhere along this rock face, but it is just well concealed; almost hidden too well. The leader continued to knock against the rock, until he heard a hollow ' _thud_ ' and some small rocks coming loose, he turned to the others and got them to listen in case he heard wrong and he certainty didn't, they all heard the hollow, echoing sound. It was the entrance, someone or something covered it up, to prevent anyone from finding it. Mack stepped back and focused on using his super strength to use himself as a battering ram and surprisingly, the wall was quite weak. Pulling himself up, the others entered, now finally glad they were one step closer to their goal. The Sword of Excelsior was within their fingertips, they just hope the Warrior Goddess is friendly and will be somewhat charitable.

_ Meanwhile… _

_ 11:55… _

( _Scene: Main Chamber, Power Vault, Desert, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Tommy's POV_ )

I opened my eyes, to find myself in the light pillar. This is so strange, of all things in my career, apart from Mímir, this is the craziest. I turned to my left, whatever way I looked, on the pedestal, was the Chaos Crystal, the item Kim needed to relink her team's morphers to the Morphing Grid. Wow, it's beautiful, a disturbing shade of bright green compare to the one on Earth-X, are there different variations of the same crystal? I stretched out my hand to take it, but instead, I was given a shock and I recoiled my hand. Great, how are we supposed to get it now? I called out for my wife, but I got no reply. Something is wrong, I called out Kimberly's name again, still no response, my panic began to increase. Kim was just with me when we entered the light pillar! That was when something unexpected happened, another figure approached me, it was not Kimberly, I was staring at myself; except his eyes were glowing green and not brown, he was wearing normal clothes and not his ranger suit. It's my alter ego.

"Dragon." I simply greeted, "What are you doing here?",

"To explain the situation." He replied, "Yes, you figured the first part out to enter the light. Unity in one sense symbolises matrimony and those of pure hearts.",

"And the second?",

"Is unity within yourself, not just each other. You have learned to make peace with yourself, accepted me as a part of yourself. A dark side, you often don't want to admit." I growled at Dragon, getting frustrated with his riddles. What has this got to do with Kim not being by my side?

"What has all this got to do with Kimberly?",

"Unlike you and I, Kimberly has not accepted her alter ego Firebird. It's no wonder they fight each other for control. They have learned to compromise, so that's a start. Tommy, what is the definition of an alter ego?" I clenched my fist, wishing to punch Dragon's face in, as much as he and I have an understanding, he can be so frustrating and irritating.

"Having a secondary or alternative personality." Then I paused, realising Dragon's words and he saw it. He knew I understood where he was coming from.

"Firebird is not just an alter ego, she's another side of Kim. A deadlier and brutal side of her.",

"I guess there is nothing exactly pure about our loved one's heart. She survived a war, made difficult decisions, is capable of taking a life. If she wanted to, she could have just gone and killed all of the Overdrive Rangers' enemies." Dragon pondered, "Angered, she didn't hold back in trying to kill Miratrix, neither when she stabbed her sword through Boreas' heart for betraying her. He should have been put on trial, but your wife denied him that. Do you still love her?" I nodded my head at him and got right into his personal space, which he seemed unfazed at.

"I love her, regardless. I love her, for both her light and dark side. In the end, she's still my wife." I said to him, "Her actions don't make her a killer, a murder. My wife is a survivor!",

"I pray she learns that lesson quickly. The shield protecting the Chaos Crystal will only allow you to both retrieve it, once she finds unity in herself.",

"Kim will make peace with Firebird, as much as I hate her. She can do this." I sat on the floor in a meditative position, to pass time as I wait for Kimberly.

_ With Kimberly… _

( _Kimberly's POV_ )

I spent what felt like an eternity trying to find Tommy. We certainly entered the light together, how is it we ended up separated upon entry? The passage did say those of pure hearts within unity can enter the light, still it wasn't a painless experience and it is something I don't want to go through again when this is over. Once this whole adventure is over, Tommy and I are taking a long, overdue honeymoon. After we got married, I threw myself into my father's research to help Andrew. I couldn't help but feel Tommy was a little peeved, but he decided that we can wait, it did give him the excuse to save up on a little more money for our holidays. Well then, back to the main question: where the fuck is my darling husband? That was when I heard a voice and it certainly did not belong to Tommy. I turned to see Firebird, why am I not surprised? My body language became stiff, ready to fight.

"Will you loosen up?" She sighed, "I'm not here to fight.",

"Ha! Am I hearing right?" I said bitterly sarcastic, "Is this the same alter ego that made me hurt my friends, cause hundreds of thousands worth of property damage to Reefside and left an uncertain number of people dead and burned to ashes?",

"How long is it going to take for you accept that we are one and the same?" I gave Firebird a hard shove, before glaring at her, as my eyes flashed red.

"I am nothing like you." I snarled, like a feral animal.

"Your past actions speak for themselves. You took lives, even without my influence, there is a fire within you, just like mine, seeking someone brave enough to tame it. Ever hear of a passage written by an Eltarian poet,  _Ode To Fury_?" I stayed quiet, of course I never took much attention to the poetry section of my home planet's archive. My silence was a confirmation that I never heard of it. I know what an ode is, though. How does Firebird know it then?

"What is this poem… I mean ode?",

"It's supposed to be sung, but I am a terrible singer, unlike you." Firebird teased, there was a glint in her glowing red eyes that she was trying annoy me and evoke a response. Firebird began the ode.

_"Bellows of pain_

_And scraping of chains_

_The echoes they taunt and deceive me_

_Oceans of blame_

_And rivers of shame_

_The fury it never leaves me_

_Grief in the snow_

_The winter of woe_

_Has come here to judge and bereave me_

_Lock up the rage_

_It rattles the cage_

_The fury it never leaves me_

_Always within_

_To lurk in the skin_

_The wounds ever aching so deeply_

_Try as may_

_To hide it away_

_The fury it never leaves me."_

I sighed annoyingly at Firebird. What has this got to do with us? What is the meaning behind it?

"I don't understand.",

"Then listen." She simply replied and continued.

_"Long I've suffered the hunger_

_Long I've silenced the cry_

_Long I've fled from thunder_

_To ascend_

_Still I try_

_To carry the pain_

_To keep it contained till the end_

_To carry the pain_

_To keep it contained till the end_

_Pour out the anger and hide it away_

_Lest it spill to the blameless and lead them to pain_

_In the steel and the rags I will cover the shame_

_So the innocent need not to be judged in my name."_

"Then that line repeats, followed by the chorus and the first verse, which I rather not waste my breath over. Do you see it's meaning?" Firebird asked me, "I'm here because I help you unleash the anger that you rather keep buried. Isn't buried anger a lot more dangerous than anger being released?" I let out a barking laugh, a cold one too.

"Is that a trick question? It doesn't matter. Anger and fury is like fire, controlled or not people get hurt in the end." Firebird began to circle me in an authoritative manner, but I stood there unfazed, not to be threatened by my alter ego. It's strange just to see her talk, Firebird wouldn't hesitate to attack and kill you on the spot unless… she does have a point. Perhaps… Firebird is there to help me let out pent up anger that I rather lock away. She maybe right, the two of us are not so different from each other, we act as a counterbalance. I rather lock up and bury my anger, Firebird releases it; is this why Aunt Dulcea does not want to separate her from me? Is Firebird actually… me? Even without Firebird… I seem to hold… no qualms about using brutality on my enemies, I tried to kill Miratrix without a second thought. "Why do you think, you and I always fight each other?",

"Because you're evil. Maligore created you, I didn't ask for this.",

"His flames may have given me life, but I was always a part of you. Darkness resides in the purest of hearts. I am you, I'm just the side you can try to reject all you want. In essence, I am your anger and I am your fury." Firebird paced around me once more, before speaking again. "How did you feel when you attacked Angel Grove? Did it feel good to release the anger you buried? Anger is just not an emotion, it is a fuel to make you more powerful.",

"While hurting others in the progress?" I growled, remembering when Zedd put me under a spell and sent me down to attack my home. It was when I discovered my true heritage and I wasn't in the position to comprehend it. For some reason, it did feel good, releasing fifteen years of buried anger, I can't believe I buried it that long as a teenager.

"It is unavoidable." Firebird hummed, "As you said, anger is like fire, people will get caught in the crossfire regardless, but as I said, it makes you stronger. Not everything is so black and white, Kara. You can't save or protect everyone. I thought _Countdown_ taught you that." I stayed quiet as I glared at the Crimson Ranger. _Countdown_ taught me lessons I would rather forget, but I can't. For a soldier like me, everything is forgettable. "Time is ticking Kara. I'm going to ask you again: are we different from each other or more alike than you think?" I held my tongue, carefully analysing the question before answering her. I really hate hard questions.

_ Back With The Kids… _

_ 13:00… _

( _Scene: Main Chamber, Temple of the Warrior Goddess, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Rangers made their way through the passages of the temple, while admiring the interior. It was clear that those who built it in honour of the Warrior Goddess had much respect for her and to the point she was worshipped. They examined their surroundings, there were several different rooms housing books, scrolls and manuscripts that they knew their mentor would love to pour over, if she were with them. They figured once everything goes back to normal and if their enemies decided to stay quiet for a while, they would love to hear stories about their mentor when she was younger. They already got one clue that she was a little rowdy were due to her taking part in brawls, which doesn't exactly match the personality of Dr. Hart which is: patient, caring, a bit of a spitfire but somewhat motherly, though haunted by her past. It wasn't long for the six rangers to reach the main chamber of the temple, which was illuminated by fire torches, so they turned off their flashlights and searched the room.

To their surprise and delight, the Sword of Excelsior was there, resting on a stone altar. At least this isn't some sword in the stone scenario. The sword was beautiful to look at, a green emerald sat in the centre of the hilt, splashes of red in appropriate places and the weapon was entirely coloured in gold, except where the sharp edges are, which is silver. The forge master put love and care into the blade. Mack stepped forward, reaching out to take the sword off its altar, only to be thrown back into Will and Dax by an invisible force.

"Ow." He groaned, "What on Earth was that?" Mack shook his head to shake off the shock of being thrown off his feet. The other three helped them onto their feet. Before any of them could speak, they were suddenly blinded by bright light and when it died down, they stood face to face with the Warrior Goddess. She was a warrior no doubt, decked out in armour that scarily reminiscent of Greek design, the Spartans perhaps and the fact the goddess wore the Spartan hoplite, which can be identified by its distinct traverse horsehair crest that was on the helmet. The goddess also carried a shield, strangely with an owl on it, that Rose noted mentally. The Warrior Goddess removed her helmet and her blue eyes were icy cold, as she stared down at them. She began to speak to them, in a language they couldn't understand.

"Ποιός είσαι? Δηλώστε την επιχείρησή σας. (Who are you? State your business.)" Everyone gulped, now scared. The goddess was speaking in Greek, she's not just any goddess, but a Greek goddess! The question was which one? Rose had another look at her shield, it had the face of an owl, is it who she thinks it is? When the Greek goddess wasn't getting an answer from them, she into a stance and lowered her spear. "Μιλήστε τώρα ή θα επιτεθώ! (Speak now or I will attack!)" For Mack and Rose, after seeing Dr. Hart go toe to toe with the Norse Goddess of the Dead, they certainly don't want to fight this one. Rose took a chance, stepping forward, hands facing up as a sign of peace, she just hoped the goddess is bilingual.

"Don't attack, please. You are Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and tactical warfare, right?" The goddess loosened up on her stance, turning to the Pink Overdrive Ranger.

"Yes, I am she." Athena answered, thankfully in English. "I am astounded you found my temple, but why do you seek the Sword of Excelsior?" Mack stepped forward to explain their situation.

"Athena, my name is Mack. It was my idea to seek the sword. I thought it may have the power to restore our own." The goddess of wisdom sighed.

"You are not wrong, the sword is powerful, but not powerful enough to restore your powers and reconnect them to the Grid.",

"You… know about the Morphing Grid?" Asked Dax,

"The Morphing Grid not only stores the Power the rangers use, but it connects us all, including the Multiverse. It's just some Earths cannot tap into its powers and is the Grid's way of maintaining balance. You can't have too many rangers running around on a cosmic level." The warrior chuckled. The kids had the thought in their heads, all of them living an ordinary life, no aliens or monsters, no Power Rangers. Their mentor just being a normal, overqualified high teacher. It would be sort of weird. "You are all very brave to seek the temple and usually I am quick to kill those who intrude or trespass." She gestured to the bones and skeletons of fallen warriors, wearing corroded armour, making the kids wince. Had Rose not spoken and identified the Warrior Goddess as Athena, they all might have been added to the kill count. "I shall relinquish the Sword of Excelsior, it will be safe in your hands. Let me warn you, be careful with it. It is the only weapon capable of striking down the Sentinel Knight, but it can restore him his physical form.",

"Thank you, Athena. We will use the power of the sword wisely." Said Mack. Athena waved her hand to remove the barrier protecting the sword, allowing the Red Ranger to take it with careful ease. Despite the short length, it was more of a short sword, the weapon was quite large and there was a little weight behind. The rangers smiled at the goddess, thanking her once more for hospitality and turned to leave, only for to call out once more. They turned.

"I have one more gift and it is for your mentor." The kids all had a look of shock on their faces. How does Athena know of their mentor? "I did see her taking the Corona Aurora. It was I who moved it to Scotland, thinking it would be safer there." Athena handed Rose an arm bracer that looked to perfectly fit around their mentor's forearm. "Your mentor is smart, she'll figure it out." Without warning, Athena quickly brought up a visual to show the Overdrive Rangers that their new friends are having trouble. They were piloting their Drivemax Megazord, but weren't faring well against a revived monster that should look familiar. It is thankful their actions went unnoticed, they would have put the temple in danger. "Help your friends. I will teleport you all to your vehicle." Athena summoned a burst of energy, chanting in Greek and then fired a beam at the six rangers. They all vanished in gold light, back to the border of the forest. "Καλή τύχη, καπετάνιοι. (Good luck, rangers.)" And Athena vanished from the temple, supposedly back to Mount Olympus in Greece. Outside, the wall Mack knocked down rebuilt itself, to hide any evidence of a temple entrance behind it. Athena served her purpose to protect the sword from those unworthy and that she did. Her presence was no longer required.

_ 13:20… _

( _Scene: Power Vault, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Katherine's POV_ )

I was thrown to the sandy ground by Silverdar. Huh, so that's Goldar's brother, he's more of a gorilla than a monkey, but he's certainly a sibling. Creepily, he bears the gold wing that Kimberly severed on Eltar. I guess he came here to steal the crystal from us. That was when I morphed and managed to push him out here, away from the light pillar. I guess Thrax sent him, when he somehow caught wind. I've been fighting Silverdar for the past twenty minutes, Tommy and Kim were in the light for ages, I wonder what's keeping them. Silverdar raised his sword to hack me down, but rolled away and threw my Zeo Shield like a frisbee into his stomach. The shield returned to me, followed it up with a Pink Fire Cloud. Oops, I think I singed his feather, he certainly did not like that. The silver armoured gorilla charged at me, yelling he will get rid of me first, then kill Kara of Eltar for taking his brother away from him. Shit Kim! Already built up a list of enemies? I need to hold back Silverdar a little longer, for Tommy and for Kim. Just please hurry you guys! I quickly raised my shield to block an attack, pushed back Silverdar and slammed him with my primary weapon. Once again, we clashed.

_ Back With Kimberly… _

( _Scene: Main Chamber, Power Vault, Outside Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _Kimberly's POV_ )

"Time's up, Kara. What is your answer?" Firebird asked me. I took deep breath, I had long enough to form an answer. I looked at my alter ego, but I wasn't glaring at her, for once, she actually speaks the truth. That is my answer.

"You're right. We are the same, it's like Yin and Yang. However, yes there is darkness inside me, but I know, deep down inside you, there is light. You are a part of me, as I'm a part of you." I shifted my weight onto my right leg, from my left. "No wonder my aunt refuses to separate us." I finished. With that, I stretched out my hand, waiting for Firebird to accept it.

"I can't believe it took you nine years to accept that." She smirked, "Now, we no longer have to fight. You can call upon me whenever you wish, but remember I am still your evil side.",

"I know." I said back and she shook my hand. Firebird burst into flames, her fire surrounding my body, before dissolving into me. I finally realised what the passage meant, it wasn't just unity between myself and Tommy, in a sense yes, but it was unity within yourself. The passage said to 'find yourself' and in a sense, it was finding balance, a balance I lacked, the balance Tommy had with Dragon. I refused to do so, because I treated Firebird as a separate entity and not someone who is a darker side of me. I also couldn't forgive her for destroying Reefside and killing people, but I wasn't any different during the war and its campaigns before I was stationed back on Eltar. Turning back, I felt some sort of wall, it's separating me from something. Focusing, I drew my hand back and punched the wall, it shattered away like glass and behind it, was Tommy. Seeing me, he quickly stood up as I ran over to him, locking my arms around him.

"I take it you found balance between you and Firebird." He said to me,

"She and I are not so different after all." I sighed. Looking over, I saw the Chaos Crystal sitting on the pedestal. It appears different to the one Aegis and I saw on Earth-X, but that is it. Walking over, Tommy warned me about a barrier surrounding it, but I told him we'll pick it up together. The two of us reached out for it, taking either side, it appeared the barrier wasn't even there and we carefully lifted it. Suddenly, the bright light vanished and we found ourselves back in the main chamber. Tommy let go of the crystal, so I could hold it better, that was when we heard an explosion outside, shaking the entire chamber. Fuck! Kat! Tommy and I raced outside to see what was happening.

By the time we exited the vault, I saw Kat firing her blaster at… is that Silverdar!? He landed on the ground, clearly having suffered the claws of the Kat. He saw me, but instead of fighting all three of us, he leaped into the air and fled. Just like his brother, when things get too hairy, just run away with your tail between your legs. Kat turned to us and powered down, hugging us and glad to see we were alright. She saw I had the crystal in my hand.

"It took you two long enough to get it." She joked,

"Sorry, I was making some amends with Firebird." Kat wasn't sure whether to take it seriously or not and chose not to question.

 _"Some things are better left unsaid."_ Laughed Firebird and I fought an eye roll, because Firebird is being her snarky self, as usual. I thought I was snarky at times, but Firebird turns the snark dial to one hundred.

"So, I was wondering if I could come back to the mansion with you two? I'd like to see Billy again.",

"No problem, Kat. Let's head."

_ Three Hours Later… _

_ 16:30… _

( _Scene: Underground Base, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

The Overdrive Base filled with laughter as the Retro Rangers congratulated the younger rangers for saving them after the latest attack. They admitted, some of them could have called their own Zords, but they had the Overdrive Zords at their disposal, so they ought to use them. They needed what Rocky quoted 'Megazord Power' and unfortunately, Rose forgot to get the five to run a Zord simulator so they can get used to them and the controls. However, the software and the controls used were too different, though Carlos had little difficulty, it was still different to the Astro Megazord. The six rangers explained how they went to retrieve the Sword of Excelsior, while it saved them all, it won't restore their powers. Next, they heard the elevator ding, figuring out quickly that must be there mentor and her husband. Looks like they're only back from their own quest, it was a good thing for the six Overdrive Rangers they got back before their mentor did, even though they were already busted by Kira, who so happened to be awake when they left. She was kind enough to keep it quiet, but said she, including Rocky, Carlos, Alyssa and Tori won't be there to save them from Kimberly's lecture. Hayley, Cam and Billy hummed in agreement, including Alpha who was after fixing the compartment that stores their powers. When Andrew heard, he certainly would not be saving their hides and… well… Spencer and Mímir were not holding onto promises that they would avoid Dr. Hart's wrath. Last thing now, is to hopefully avoid a lecture and relink their morphers to the Grid.

The elevator door opened, revealing Dr. Hart, her husband and to their surprise, Katherine Hilliard-Cranston, Dr. Billy Cranston's wife. They sure do remember her from last time. The trio stepped out, they all saw the green crystal in Dr. Hart's hand, it must be the Chaos Crystal she was talking about. There's only one chance to relink their morphers, there cannot be any mistakes or errors, if it doesn't work, the journey was all for naught and the Overdrive Rangers are no more. Kat walked over to Billy and locked him in a hug, kissing him. Kim on the hand, saw an unusual object on the table, it was a sword and she asked about it. Mack braved Dr. Hart, if anyone should be lectured, it should be him. It was his idea.

"This, is the Sword of Excelsior. I sought it out, thinking it could restore our powers. It was my idea, don't blame the others." However, Kim wasn't mad at Mack, she was mad at everyone. They went after a mythical object without their powers and abandoned their post inside the mansion.

"YOU KIDS DID WHAT!?" They knew in an instant she was addressing them all. Tyzon tried hard not to turn himself into mercury, now he is witnessing Dr. Hart's famous lecture modes. So now he understood why no one wants to experience them. "Are you six stupid or what!? I should have you all running thirty laps around the mansion!" Rocky stepped forward, braving his little sister's temper and stood to defend the actions of the young ranger team.

"Kim, I know what they did was stupid, but those kids saved our asses out there, when we were getting pummelled." Kim let out a sigh and turned to the rangers, who she sees as kids.

"Is this true?" She questioned them all and they were quick to nod their heads. "I'll let you all off, you saved the veterans and that's what being a ranger is about." The kids cheered, high-fiving the other rangers as Tommy, Kat and the technicians laughed, as well as Andrew, Spencer and Mímir. Kimberly signalled them to be quiet, though. "But, you are all banned from pizza for a week." Then the base erupted into complaints and protest. "Do you want me to make it two weeks?" They all silenced themselves agreed to the one week pizza ban, it was better to suffer that punishment than make it a two week torture. Tommy was at the side chuckling, Kim's military demeanour is showing through. Now, it was time to see if the morphers will reconnect to the Grid. Before that happened, the Sentinel Knight appeared, Mack recalled Athena saying the sword can kill him, but right now, it will restore his physical form. They all decided to that first, Mack picked up the sword and stood behind the knight. The sword began to levitate on its own and moved through the knight's ghostly body, Rose caught the sword, and when the light died, the Sentinel Knight; the Keeper of the Corona Aurora, stood there, not as a spirit.

"It actually worked!" Mack exclaimed,

"I thank you for restoring my physical form. You have my gratitude, call on me during your time of need." The knight turned to the mentor of the rangers, holding the Chaos Crystal. "Hand me the crystal and the rest of you place your morphers on you." They did as the Sentinel Knight instructed. Mack, Rose, Ronny, William and Dax picked up their morphers, while Kim and Tyzon strapped theirs onto their left wrist. Their new ally held the crystal in front of him, some sort of energy came from his hand and fired it into the crystal, a beam, seven separate energised beams exited the crystal and struck the morphers. Shortly, the light died, they looked at their morphers and it still looked the same. Did it fail? "Now morph." He ordered. Looking at each other, the did what he said. Mack led the morphing sequence.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Seven different coloured lights surrounded their bodies; Mack - red, Ronny - yellow, Dax - blue, Rose - pink, Will - black, Tyzon - silver, and Kimberly - green, the colour some of her friends are still trying to get used to. It still made Tommy proud of his wife though. The light dimmed and the rangers, plus their mentor were back in the suits they nearly missed getting back into. The Overdrive Rangers are back in action. The Retro Rangers were admiring suit, especially Kimberly's. It was almost similar to Tommy's Green Ranger suit, with all the armour. Tommy was admiring it too. They all took their helmets off.

"That is fucking awesome." Said Hayley, looking at Kim and her ranger team. Kimberly certainly pulls off the green well, almost better than Tommy. Rose quickly left their side to grab an object and handed it over to Dr. Hart, who was frowning.

"We met Athena inside the temple, getting the sword. She said you'd figure out how to use." It appeared to be an ordinary bracer, with a dome in the centre. The historian made a note to ask the kids for a full debriefing on their quest for the sword, they actually met Athena! She was actually jealous of them. Kim took the bracer, putting it on her right forearm since her morpher was on the left. Once it was securely placed, everyone stood back thinking it could fire a projectile or something like that. Kimberly raised her arm and to their shock, a shield unveiled itself. Kim was actually smiling.

"Like to see Silverdar and Thrax hit me now." The shield sheathed itself, then Kat crossed her arms.

"Looks like I'm not the only shield user, hm?",

"Sorry Kat." Kim answered jokingly. That was when the alarms went off, it seems like Thrax and his evil alliance are out for one last showdown. Kim looked at her team and knew it was the perfect time to team up with the Retro Rangers. The kids and the other temporary team had the same idea. She was staring at Rocky, who was grinning eagerly.

"It's motherfucking Morphin' Time."

_To Be Continued…_

* * *

Next Time

The twelve rangers: the seven Overdrive Rangers and the five Retro Rangers stood on the opposite side of the Evil Alliance, facing Thrax, Silverdar, Kamdor and Miratrix, the Fearcats, then Moltor and Fluious.

"You guys are going to regret messing with the rangers!" Mack said…

Kimberly stared at Mack in a frantic manner. Who's idea was it to exchange embarrassing stories!?

"Mack! Keep your fucking mouth shut!"…

"Hey babe." Some random guy said to Rose in a ridiculously flirtatious manner. "Drinks on me and we can have a good time." Before she could answer, a person behind him came to her rescue and tossed the creep over the bar counter. His friends came to his rescue and chaos ensued inside the bar. "Rocky wasn't kidding." She muttered, recalling what he said…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies about the dialogue again. This is what happens after you realise you singly write 16K+ words minus the what's to come and the footnotes. So, I finally introduced Kimberly's father Kevin Hart and he's been residing in the Netherworld, thank you BOOM! again, for a good couple of years. His role will be more prominent in another chapter, so he will be reunited with Kim.
> 
> The final battle won't happen till Part Three, just hang tight while I write it.
> 
> Bye!


	9. Once a Ranger Part III - Final Showdown and Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rangers of past and present stand together to defeat Thrax and his alliance once and for all. Admits the chaos of battle, time can always be found to reminisce on the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry once again for keeping you all waiting for Part 3. I hope you are all getting used to my sporadic update schedules. We're finally on the last part of Once a Ranger, we will be also delving into the past of the original ranger team, obviously referencing to the TV show and little things inbetween. Yeah, that fight scene between Kim and Thrax, then throwing Rita in, I've been playing far too much God of War and I felt at least one of Thrax's parents should have been there.
> 
> I dare openly say, though you may have different opinions, I absolutely detest how I handled the fight scene between the twelve rangers and Thrax's dodgy alliance. My Writer's Block was actually that bad, I could not function properly for those scenes, which is why the fight between Kimberly and Thrax looks as if it abruptly ended. It is explained as to what happened, but I was compensating for my stupid Writer's Block. I should be on a roll once more after that.
> 
> Enjoy Once a Ranger Part 3!

_"Memories, even bittersweet ones, are better than nothing."_

\- Jennifer L. Armentrout

* * *

Chapter 9: Once a Ranger Part III - Final Showdown and Memory Lane

* * *

_ Five Minutes Later… _

_ 16:35… _

( _Scene: Battlefield, Quarry, Outside San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

All twelve rangers descended the SHARC, which was being piloted by Andrew and landed on solid ground. They faced their enemies, Thrax and his little alliance, they were surprised to see not just the Retro Rangers, but the Overdrive Rangers whom they thought they put out of commission. That was when they noticed their repaired Overdrive Trackers and it obviously meant bad news for them, the rangers reconnected to the Morphing Grid and got their powers back. This doesn't abode well for Thrax, as it was his idea to target the Grid and now, it backfired. Terribly. So much for gaining the upper hand, the rangers have once again shown their intellectual prowess and overcome the obstacles Thrax placed. Silverback was too busy glaring at his brother's killer, this time, his sword is going to be in Kara's chest; he was being soft because his friend told him and not to kill Kara on the first day they attacked the rangers. This battle will decide who will be the victor. The Rangers could see their enemies seething, Thrax was gripping his staff tightly.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" He roared,

"Just like your father, Thrax." Kim started, "You underestimated the Power Rangers." Standing beside her team, Mack led the morphing sequence, as he, Ronny, Dax, Rose and Will took out their Overdrive Trackers.

"Overdrive Accelerate!" The five rangers dragged the movable part of the morpher across the length of their arms, while Dr. Hart and Tyzon carried out a sequence, similar to the Dino Thunder Rangers morph. Next was the Retro Rangers.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Rocky brought up his Ape Ninja Power Coin, "Red Ranger Power!",

"Dino Thunder! Power up!",

"Ninja Storm! Ranger form!",

"Wild Access!",

"Let's Rocket!" Five different coloured lights surrounded them all and shortly, all twelve rangers stood before their enemies, morphed and ready for action. Mack cracked his knuckles, as he stood beside the second Original Red and first Ape Ninjetti Ranger.

"You're going to learn, Thrax, why you never mess with the Power Rangers." That was the cue for both sides to charge like a herd of bulls. The rangers teamed up according to the corresponding colour, somewhat: Mack and Rocky faced Moltor, Ronny and Kira went toe to toe with Miratrix, Dax and Tori squared off against Fluious, William and Carlos were facing Kamdor, while Rose, Alyssa and Tyzon fought The Fear Cats. This left Dr. Hart to face Thrax and Silverback alone.

_ With Mack and Rocky… _

Moltor had his two swords unsheathed, preparing to face the two Red Rangers, who unsheathed their Overdrive Defender and Blade Blaster in sword mode. Charing at their enemy, the two rangers slammed their weapons down on Moltor, who managed to block the attack, but leaving him foolishly open as the pair side kicked him the stomach, sending the Brother of Fire flying into a rock face. He hit his back hard and so, it left an opening for them to switch their weapons to blaster mode and fired full power on Moltor. It wounded him, but he wasn't done yet and so, the fight continued.

_ Ronny and Kira… _

The two Yellow Rangers surrounded Miratrix, with their side arms drawn in blade mode. Miratrix kept an eye on both rangers as they circled her, trying to figure out when they will attack her. Ronny was first to charge, bringing her Overdrive Defender down on the her blade, Miratrix raised her own weapon to block it, but was surprised at the amount of force applied, causing her to stagger. That allowed Kira to slip by and get an attack in, swinging her blade across Miratrix's torso and kicked her away. Miratrix managed to get into a shoulder roll, that allowed her to recover quickly and retaliat with a laser blast, hitting Ronny. Annoyed at that attack, Kira glared at her opponent, it was time to go full dino.

"Super Dino Mode!" She commanded and extending from her suit, were small spikes on her arms and legs. Then there was some sort of light material to mimic that of a Pterodactyl. The small spikes, compared to Dr. O's, Conor's, Ethan's and Trent's, allowed her to be lightweight and fly. She turned to Ronny and said: "As soon as I leap into the air, take your blaster out and hold on!" Getting the gist very quickly, Ronny unholstered her firearm, then Kira leaped into the air, giving Ronny the signal to grab her foot. It was the same trick she did with Tori after freeing her and her friends from Lothor's mind control. Surprised that Kira was holding her weight, Ronny got a clear line of fire on Miratrix.

"Hasta la vista, baby." The latest Yellow Ranger in the legacy smirked, under her helmet and fired, sending their opponent crashing, seriously hurt.

_ To Dax and Tori… _

Fluious held his ice lance horizontally, as he narrowly blocked the dual strikes on him by the Blue Rangers' Overdrive Defender and Ninja Sword. He then pushed them back, forcing the two rangers to flip, yet it allowed Dax to quickly switch his Defender from blade to blaster mode. Once he landed, the stunt actor got in three shots due to Fluious' poor defences, staggering him. With his guard down even more, Tori went full ninja on the Brother of Ice, performing a Ninja Streak. To Dax, Tori was nothing but a blur of blue and that's exactly what Fluious could see, as he was being struck in all directions; unable to block the attacks because he was unable to match the speed. When he staggered, Dax leaped in beside Tori as the two let out a hard, combined side-kick, knocking Fluious several feet from them and leaving feelings of defeat. He knew he played his cards wrong this time.

_ William and Carlos… _

Carlos rolled with the punches, they say as Will dashed for Kamdor. It was kind of obvious the two struck a rivalry, so it was natural for the two to face each other. It's not a surprise, a lot of rangers in the past would have rivals or nemesis they would fight on each encounter; take Jason Scott, Tommy Oliver and Goldar for example. They faced each other more times than he can count when he got his copy of the Ranger Legacy video. Kamdor was armed with his lance and swung it low, attempting to trip Will, luckily, he saw it coming and leaped over it. Carlos saw his opening, taking out his Lunar Lance, giving it a quick spin, he dashed forward, lashing out with a basic thrust right into Kamdor's chest; forcing him to stagger. Will unsheathes his primary weapon: the Drive Slammer, he rushed forward and raised his weapon. Kamdor brought his own weapon up to block it, but Will slammed his hammer down on him with such force it broke his lance in two. Shocked that his weapon broke, Carlos jumped in with the finishing blow, a clean arc, lifting their enemy into the air and the Black Overdrive Ranger finished it with one final swing; sending Kamdor into the base of the cliff face, his back slamming into it. The two Black Rangers fist bumped as a small victory.

_ Rose, Alyssa and Tyzon… _

This fight was a three against two, three Rangers facing two of The Fear Cats. To Tyzon, the name should have really no meaning, there was nothing to fear about them, now that he had friends to help him. Rose and Alyssa teamed up to face Mig, while Tyzon was left with Benglo. While the fight went on, the three would switch opponents or switch among themselves to confuse the two remaining Fear Cats. Tyzon wondered should the two just surrender and leave Earth if they value their lives, but since they are after the Corona Aurora, they really don't care if they waste their lives for the crown and its jewels. Tyzon swung his Drive Detector in a wide arc, also parrying a strike from Benglo, then a lock followed, he could also hear Rose and Alyssa, they're standing against Mig just fine. As many of the rangers say, past and present, no doubt future too: never underestimate the female rangers. The Mercury Ranger overpowered Mig and pushed him back with a hard side kick, Benglo was thrown back too, landing beside his team mate. Tyzon switched his weapon to blaster mode, so did Rose and Alyssa unsheathed her Crystal Sabre. The three Rangers charged up their weapons and the two Fear Cats were brought down by the power of three combined laser projectiles. Knowing their enemies are down, Tyzon, Alyssa and Rose high-five each other. It was great to have the powers working again.

_ With Kimberly Hart… _

Kimberly raised her Overdrive Defender to block an attack from Thrax, when the corner of her eye caught Silverback trying to flank her. He brought down his sword, only to hear a ' _clang_ '! Looking, Silverback had a look of shock when he glanced that his attack has been blocked by a shield he didn't know the Green Ranger had. Thrax was just as surprised, he swore the ranger didn't have any form of a shield, in his distraction, Kim kicked Thrax away to make some space, then slammed her shield into Goldar's brother. She then followed it up with a shield ram into Thrax, sending him flying, this left Kim and Silverback alone, but only for so long. The two warriors circled each other, then charged. Kim summoned her short sword, it seems like the Morphing Grid sees the weapon as a part of her arsenal and attacked Silverback. The two clashed, fighting as if they were the only two on the battlefield, Kim could just about hear over the clanging of their swords, Rose and Alyssa telling Tyzon to keep Thrax preoccupied, it seems like he recovered from that shield slam faster than she'd like. At the time being, Thrax is busy dealing with the Mercury Ranger, that is fine by her. Focusing her attention on Silverback, Kimberly parried a swing, seeing an opening for a quick slash. Silverback was getting angry, using his wings to leap in the air, he began to fire an energy blast from his hand, making the Green Ranger dodge, then suddenly, she used her shield once again and parried the projectile, sending it right back at the young silver armoured warrior, causing him to fall.

She really hated the thought coming to her head, but if Kim allowed Silverback to retreat to heal his wounds, he could come back again, even target those closest to her to smoke her out. The thought of him attacking herself and Tommy in their home is a bad scenario and so is him finding her mother and stepfather in Paris. Leaving an enemy who has a long grudge alive, it can't happen, the part of the Green Ranger that is a soldier, will do everything to keep those she loves safe from danger and so, Lieutenant Kara has no choice: if Silverback is going to keep coming after her to avenge Goldar's death, he might find peace in joining him. Gripping her sword tightly, Kim sheathed her Overdrive Defender, switching her short sword to her left hand; as much as she hated Boreas, one valuable lesson he taught her, was to sword fight ambidextrously. The fighting between her and Silverback reached intense levels, first, she needs to cripple him dodging another swing, Kimberly summoned her shield and using all her strength, she rammed it right into Silverback's chest. He was quick to stand, but Kim noticed the armour was cracked, but there's an area not protected by it and that's her opening. Silverback flapped his wings, speeding towards Kim, before she could react, his hand nearly death gripped around her helmet, sending her crashing to the ground, skidding across it. Kim winced as her helmet made a horrible scraping sound that hurt her ears, but she is glad that it's her helmet and not her head. Kicking Silverback off her, the two went into another bout of swordplay, before Kim, just like with Goldar, slipped behind her opponent and instantly, cut off the wing that so happened to be Goldar's. How the irony repeats itself, Kim was unsure whether to see it as laughable or not.

Silverback fell to his knees, crying out in pain. He looked up at his brother's killer, who stood over him, her sword slightly bloodied. He wondered was this how his brother died? Dr. Hart put her sword tip towards Silverback's neck.

"Spare me, Eltarian." He said, putting on a faux tone of pleading. However, Kim could read right through it. She shook her head, glaring at the warrior from Titan, who tried and almost succeeded in killing her. At this stage, Kim would nearly call herself an expert and give lectures on how to survive and cheat or evade death.

"You'll only come after me. Listen to me, Silverback, your brother fought well and I don't know your planet's customs for the dead or your Gods, I'm sorry it has to be this way.",

"Why are you being merciful with me?" Silverback growled, returning a glare of his own. "You were not merciful when you killed Goldar.",

"I didn't kill your brother! I wounded him, yes. It was my father's energy wave that killed him." Kim sighed for a second, "If it brings you peace, you can join your brother. You fought just as well as Goldar. He would be proud." Hearing those words, the words of an honourable warrior, the warriors of Titan always prided in fighting with honour. His brother's killer, seems no different and he fought to the end. With nothing else to live for and deciding Thrax will no longer need him, if Kara promises him he can join his brother, then it shall be so. Raising his arms, it was the signal for the Lieutenant to strike him down, as Kim raised her sword, her grip tightened, she really didn't want the kids or the other rangers to see this and those who were watching from the Overdrive Base. Life is beautiful, but it is cruel. It can chew you up and spit you back out and the Lieutenant has been through that one, so many times that the entire Universe and Multiverse laughs at her. As she prepared to stab her sword down, Silverback's last words in his mind were:

 _"I'm coming home, brother."_ It happened so quickly, Silverback didn't even process the sharp pain of the blade entering his flesh. The warrior from Titan, Goldar's younger brother, looked up at the scrapped helmet of the Green Ranger, knowing the face behind it. From Kimberly's perspective, Silverback was quietly thanking her, for reuniting him with his brother in the afterlife. Pulling her sword out, Silverback was no more, joining his brother, no longer angry at the Lieutenant who fought him on Eltar during Countdown and his body fell limp to the ground.

The fighting seemed to have paused for a moment, everyone seeing the Green Ranger stand over Silverback's body, her sword now red with his blood. It shocked the enemies of the Overdrive Rangers that there is one ranger who is capable of killing. Miratrix was a witness of that when their mentor almost killed her before she officially became a full time ranger, to think that could have been her back then, when her life was being choked out. Thrax on the other hand, after he recovered, was not aboding to his friend's death well. Yelling in anger and anguish, he caught Tyzon by the throat and threw him away, then charged towards the Green Ranger. Turning around, Kim had a split second to throw her shield up, Thrax's fist made contact and surprisingly, she skidded back due to the strength behind it. Kimberly was actually unprepared for the force behind Thrax's attack, he means business now that she killed Silverback and under her helmet, she was silently muttering curses in Eltarian; words she picked up from hanging out with the soldiers, words her mother would be horrified of and probably lecture her on. With the way the son of Rita and Zedd is fighting, Kim will have to go all out against him, no holding back her strength, no restraint. The Green Ranger raised her shield to block a strike from the staff that belongs to Zedd, batting it away, then quickly following it up by a forward punch to his face, sending Thrax flying across the battleground, fifteen meters away from her. Thrax pulled himself up, proceeding to fire projectiles at her, forcing Kim to move to dodge them all, it was like dodging laser fire during the war. Time had no meaning during the fight between them, it was fast, hard and intense; the other rangers knew they could not interfere, the battle was too dangerous, especially when she was going all out and by all out, her Eltarian enhanced strength being used to the fullest. Thrax's staff began to glow and the two charged at each other, Kimberly raised her shield for a shield bash, and the two fighters collided, their vision was blinded when white light exploded.

****

_ 19:45… _

( _Scene: Bar, City Centre, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

After the long battle, finally defeating Thrax and his unstable alliance, things have quietened down once more. The young Overdrive Rangers enjoyed fighting side by side with the Retro Rangers and Kimberly had some fun using her new shield against Thrax and Silverback. The Green Ranger did unintentionally frighten the kids after she brutally severed the wing that belonged to Silverdar's brother, only to end him by stabbing her short sword through his chest, breaking his armour. While the young rangers and their predecessors dealt with Moltor, Fluious, the Fear Cats and Kamdor and Miratrix, Dr. Hart faced an angered Thrax alone. The fight between them did get explosive, getting to the point that the Green Ranger was throwing Lord Zedd's son through hard rock and slamming him into the walls of the quarry. Kim even knocked over a large slab of rock onto him, in attempt to crush Thrax. Seeing the fight was getting to dangerous levels, Thrax's so-called allies fled, not wanting to be within range of Kimberly's wrath. They abandoned him and that angered Thrax greatly. The Overdrive Rangers wanted to aid their mentor, but Rocky stopped them, he and the other past rangers and technicians who were back in the Overdrive Base; knew it was too dangerous for them to help. When Kim starts using her full Eltarian strength, it is a sign and warning to stay out of it. Kimberly would feel guilty if she hurt the kids, while going all out and not holding back. Then, to everyone's surprise, Rita Repulsa… now Mystic Mother, appeared to cease the fight, though her husband Zedd, who now goes by the name Zakai was not there, due to being in the M51 Galaxy. Rita begged Kara to spare her son's life and that Zedd would want that too, but it appeared that Thrax was just as angry towards his own parents, as he was towards the daughter of Zordon and Aria.

Her presence sent the fight into further increasing danger, but Thrax was focused on Kimberly. Dax compared the fight to be something out of a video game, but making everyone tell him that it wasn't the time to make comparisons. Kimberly was utilising her shield to the full, quickly mastering blocking and countering, then using the shield in creative ways. Neither side would listen to Rita's pleas to stop fighting and it reached the point that she started using non-aggressive magic to try and stop them. Tommy ended up joining the fight, to keep Mystic Mother occupied, as much as he hated it - Udonna would beat his ass, as well as Snow Prince if they heard they were fighting against Mystic Mother and in a way, offending The Council of Magic - he was also accompanied by Billy, Kat and Cam. The four of them kept Thrax's mother distracted, allowing Kim to face him without struggling against magical binds. The Overdrive Rangers felt helpless, but the Retro Rangers were insistent they keep out of the fight. Kimberly sat at the table in silence, beside Tommy listening to her friends talk and laugh. It was her idea to go to the bar to celebrate their victory, but in her mind, it was bitter victory. She recalled what she did in mental detail, after weakening Thrax, Rita leaped down, begging her to spare Thrax; Rita was even willing to die if it meant soothing her son's anger. Kim knew Rita's role in The Council of Magic and her death would cause uproar, which is worse than actually fighting her. While Thrax was too distracted in choking the life out of his mother, Kimberly grabbed him, pulling him away, holding their son in a headlock. That was when she did the unthinkable in front of the rangers, the kids, friends and her husband. They all watched as she used her strength to snap Thrax's neck and Kim can still hear it, the sickening snap, watching Thrax's body limp to the ground. For the first time, they actually saw their first enemy weep over her son's body. Tommy knew Kim did it for the better good, Rita was needed as the leader of The Council of Magic. However, Rita was angry at Kim, saying Zakai would be the same, while she tried to reason that Thrax was too far gone and despite that, Rita wished that Kim would die a painful death for killing her son. Taking his body, Rita left, leaving a cold air around them. For the first time, the kids witnessed their mentor take a life, it's something Kim hates being able to do, it is only more blood on her hands, blood she can only see, no matter how many times she tries to wash it off.

Being brought back to reality, Rocky was in the middle of telling the kids and the veterans who remained with them - which were Kira, Billy, Kat and Hayley. Carlos had to leave to return to his job, Alyssa needed to go back to the primary school in Turtle Cove; she couldn't remain away from the classroom any longer; then Tori and Cam had to go back to the Wind Ninja Academy to keep it running - a story of their mentor and her husband during their high school days. Much to their mortification, it was when the two were going for school president and they tried so hard to forget that experience. It genuinely was not their proudest moments, even though their friends laugh at it now. He was at the point she and Tommy spent more time arguing than fighting their enemies.

**_ Twelve Years Ago… _ **

**_ 16:30… _ **

**_ Year: Mid-Autumn, 1994… _ **

**Canon: _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers; Best Man For The Job_**

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Battlefield, Angel Grove Park, Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

**The six rangers landed in the park to deal with Goldar and Zedd's Z-Putty Patrol. They wasted no time in starting the fight, however, the opposite was going on for the two bickering Pink and White Rangers. It was almost comical to watch as they verbally fought, while the Z-Putties failed miserably to even get a hand on them. Aisha and Billy, the primary campaigners for Kimberly and Tommy for school president were scratching heads, wondering if the whole thing was getting to their own heads. They wondered what happened to fair play. Wasn't there a phrase: 'All is fair in love and war'? There was certainly no fairness at what going on between the two, their friends were swearing that the young love birds were going to break up over this ordeal. In the school, Tommy was vandalising the posters the Yellow Ranger made, while Kim did something similar. During the lunch break, Tommy and Kim were having another argument, which herself and Billy had to intervene after Kim unwittingly dented her locker door with her enhanced strength thanks to her Eltarian genes. Thankfully, no one batted an eye lid, because it is nearly impossible for a normal human to even dent a locker. Tommy should be considered lucky that it was the locker that got hit and not his face, that whack would surely knock him out for a good few hours. No doubt Kim was very tempted to punch Tommy. Aisha managed to get a glimpse of Tommy walking away from Kimberly, whom she quickly followed right in front of poor Goldar, who didn't know what to do with the bickering couple. Hell! Aisha, Rocky, Adam and Billy could hear the argument from where they fought.**

**"Typical, typical blockheaded Tommy behaviour!" Screeched Kim, pointing fingers at Tommy.**

**"Who's a blockhead!?" He snapped,**

**"You are!" If the rangers were not in the middle of battle, they would have at least loved to capture this on camera as blackmail material. They somewhat figured their two friends were under a rivalry spell and didn't exactly have a chance to confront them about it, since the Pink and White Rangers were too caught up in their campaign and arguing between themselves. Then they heard Tommy tell Kim to ' _go back to the mall_ ', while she countered with ' _can't take the heat Mr. Runner Up_ '? The Yellow Ranger was just about ready to bash their heads in and she wouldn't be sorry for the Pink Ranger or her father. Things quickly escalated when Goldar managed to rip Saba from Tommy's waist and quickly figured out how to use it by making poor Saba fire lasers from his eyes. After that, Goldar retreated with Tommy's weapon in tow, along with the power to control the White Tigerzord. Aisha ran up beside Rocky and Adam, pulling the bickering rangers away from each other, blaming one another for losing the sabre. Adam lost his cool.**

**"GUYS! KNOCK IT OFF!" Taking a deep breath, he then said: "Let's take this back to the Command Centre and have you two scanned." No one was going to argue with Adam when his patience is ticked. Rocky, Aisha and Billy nodded in agreement, while Kim and Tommy just scoffed with their arms crossed, glaring at each other through their helmets.**

**"Screw you." Gritted Tommy at Kimberly,**

**"Well fuck you, too." Kim is not usually one to use foul language, but when she is bad tempered, all cards are off the table. While everyone knows Kim has a voice of an angel, angered she has a mouth that a sailor would be proud of. It's still strange for them to hear her swear. Aisha and Adam had it. Grabbing their friend's communicators, they tapped the wrist watch, engulfing their friends in a beam of pink and white light and the rest of the team shortly followed. There is going to be chaos at base and poor Zordon, Kimberly's real father is going to be playing referee.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Tommy and Kim covered their faces in mortification over that tale. It certainly was not on top of their list and to say again, not their proudest moment. The two of them literally had to smell the roses to break Rita's rivalry spell. If there was a potion to erase that part of their lives, they would certainly drink it. They certainly learned the hard way that ranger duties and politics don't mix very well. Kim looked over at Mack who was smirking furiously, he had a look that said: ' _I have a story that can top that_ '. Instincts were telling the Doctor of History that this story is very familiar. Mack cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"You think that's funny, Rocky?" He asked. The Red Ape Ninjetti turned to Mack with interest, wanting to know what shenanigans his little sister got up to. "I have a story that you will all die of laughter." Kimberly's fears proved correct, as her mind instantly clicked. Mack knew he put his mentor in an embarrassing position.

"MACK!" She yelled, "Shut the fuck up!" This story is going to end her brief reputation as a serious ranger mentor.

"Go on Mack." Her husband encouraged, "Tell us." Beside Hayley, who was having a pint of Orchard Thieves cider, Andrew was covering his mouth with his hand to muffle his laugh. He knew what the story is and boy, it was hilarious. It was a couple of days before they assembled the Operation Overdrive team, if Andrew recalls correctly, it was exactly six days before the kids arrived. The young Red Ranger rubbed his hands eagerly.

"The story I'm about to tell you all, was when Dr. Hart ' _accidentally_ '," He did the air quotes with his fingers to put more emphasis into the word ' _accidentally_ '. "Locked our poor, elderly butler Spencer in the walk-in freezer for twenty to thirty minutes." Kim sank into her seat as the entire table burst out laughing, making a bit of racket. Anyone who turned around to see, knew the group around the table were a very close knit family or friends that see each other as family. Kira was almost struggling to get her breath back.

"Zach is right, Dr. Hart." She inhaled again to calm herself. "You are like a real life Lara Croft. Tell us how you locked Spencer in the walk-in freezer.",

"It was an accident!" Kim muttered, glaring at Andrew and Mack. They recalled the memory like it was yesterday, as it flooded back into their minds.

**_ Three Months Ago… _ **

**_ 14:30… _ **

**_ Wednesday… _ **

**_ 16th May 2006… _ **

**Canon: _Pre-Kick Into Operation Overdrive_**

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Kitchen, Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

**Kimberly left Andrew's office for a brief break, on his insistence, to be fair she was a little hungry; going between looking for leads on her dad and finding clues to locate the five jewels of the Corona Aurora is hard. She admits that she did spend a little overtime researching and maybe pulled a few all nighters, especially when finding the crown itself. If her friends caught wind of that, Kim would find herself in one hell of a lecture. She recalls her dad used to pull all nighters, so it seems like she picked up a few bad habits of his. Entering the kitchen, the Doctor of History decided to make a cup of tea and a sandwich, just something quick, dinner would be later tonight. Going through the cupboards to find the mugs and figuring out where the food is, Kim suddenly felt a cold chill in the kitchen. It certainly wasn't a draft and it didn't come from an open window. Following the trail of the cold breeze, the Pink Ranger soon stumbled across a freezer in a separate room and it wasn't just a freezer, it was one of those highly expensive walk-in freezers. Kimberly asked herself was it even necessary for Andrew to even have one, unless he used to throw some large parties in his youth or when his parents were around. She did find it odd that it was open and assumed it was opened by accident. Walking over to the door, Kim pushed it, sealing the large literal ice box shut and locked it. She then went back to the kitchen to make up her light snack and head back to the office.**

**_ Twenty Minutes Later… _ **

**_ 15:05… _ **

**Andrew's only son, Mack was walking around the mansion looking for Spencer. He's been trying to find him for the past twenty minutes and there hasn't been a sign of him. At first, he just assumed that the elderly butler had gone out to get something, but noticing the car was still in the garage, Spencer had certainly not gone out. Scratching his head, Mack decided to ask his dad and research assistant Dr. Hart. Normally, his dad doesn't like to be disturbed, but his assistant is more easy going. He never really had a proper conversation with Dr. Hart, except for passing each other along the halls and greeting one another with a nod or a quiet ' _hi_ ' or ' _hello_ '. Mack did read up a little on Dr. Hart's profile, she made serious contributions to history, some newspapers got a little cruel, saying if she could be ' _another_ ' Dr. Kevin Hart; he too was a historian; a controversial one, before he vanished. The young woman is also a genius if she managed to graduate early and got her PhD without acquiring a Masters Degree. He learned that she studied in Angel Grove University, but he wondered why so late in her life? She managed to graduate after one year and that was in two-thousand-and-two, early two-thousand-and-three was when she received her Post Doctorate. Dr. Hart sure is a woman of mystery. Returning his attention to the missing butler, Mack walked over to the door which is his dad's office and knocked.**

**"Come in!" That must be Dr. Hart. Mack opened the door to let himself in.**

**"Sorry for disturbing the both of you, but… dad, have you seen Spencer?" Andrew had a look of thought for a minute.**

**"Come to think of it, no.",**

**"Well, I've been looking for him for twenty minutes straight. I assumed you might have known where he is.",**

**"Let's go look for him." Said Dr. Hart, putting down the book she was reading. Exiting the office, the trio searched the mansion for a further ten minutes, still finding no sign of the old butler. They were all scratching heads by the time they regrouped in the kitchen. Honestly, Spencer can be quiet as a mouse, but there's no way he can just disappear in the mansion. Just when one of them were about to say something, their ears picked up a loud, furious banging coming from the room where the walk-in freezer was. Mack and Andrew walked over, while everything was clicking in Kim's mind and she was paling slightly, as her mind rushed like a river, while Rhea was laughing at her champion. Kimberly Hart-Oliver accidentally locked Spencer in the walk-in freezer. Following the father and son, Mack unlocked the door, revealing Spencer, clutching himself and shivering. It seems like the twenty to thirty minutes spent in the freezer was enough for tiny icicles to grow on his suit. Kimberly face-palmed, making Andrew and Mack turn to her. "I didn't know anyone was in the freezer!",**

**"You locked Spencer in the walk-in freezer!?" Mack exclaimed, only to burst into a fit of laughter, while his dad was the same. Spencer was too cold to reply and Kim was going red with embarrassment. Something told her, they are not going to forget about this.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

Kimberly was hiding her face in shame as the entire table laughed at her, some nearly choking on their food or drinks. While some of her friends were wondering why Andrew even needed a walk-in freezer, this was the best story they have heard so far. Kim could then see Caesar with Rhea, due to her and Tommy's connection, they were both laughing, hell! Even Firebird was chuckling, the Green Ranger can imagine her alter ego was chuckling while crossing her arms, smirking. Mack felt he sort of destroyed Dr. Hart's reputation in front of her friends, but they all knew it was a laugh and love to make fun of each other. He wouldn't be surprised if they have blackmail material on each other and there would often be roasting competitions. Next, Kat decided to have her turn at making fun of the oh-so serious mentor of Operation Overdrive. Kim swears it must be a tradition to make fun of the mentor. The table stayed silent so that they could listen to Kat, while poor Kim was dreading what Kat knew about her.

"Spill the beans, Kitty Kat." Billy said happily, too happily than Kim would have liked. Kat was giving one of her creepy, but sweet smiles and there was a glint in her blue eyes.

"Well kids, did you know Kimberly was a video game dork and still is?" Tyzon was a little clueless, he didn't know what a video game is, but the others dropped their jaws. The historian with a PhD, a Power Ranger, their mentor and a high school history teacher… plays… video games!? Kira was laughing, obviously recalling her own memory of it and clapping her hands like a sea lion. It was almost hilarious to look at. Kira was thankful that the people inside the bar respected her privacy, she is a popular singer and they could see the group of people she sees as a second family, all assume they are her bodyguards wearing civilian clothing. Kimberly rubbed the side of her head, looking like she is getting a headache.

"How did you know earlier on?" Kimberly asked her fellow Pink Ranger, "I thought you didn't learn that till Tommy got me that belated birthday gift." Tommy was choking on his Heineken upon hearing that.

"Kimberly, sweetie; I was around town when I saw you and Aisha heading for the arcade. It was a couple of days after we met, I just decided to follow you two." Kim went wide eyed, knowing what day that was ten years ago. Aisha never told her Kat was there! Her stress was felt by Tommy, mainly sent towards Aisha and she could hear her friend and her Animal Spirit Artemis laughing. Kim made a note to kill Aisha when they next meet and she was not going to feel sorry for her or Rocky.

**_ Ten Years Ago… _ **

**_ 15:00… _ **

**_ Friday… _ **

**_ 6th January 1996… _ **

**Canon: _Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers; Pre-Changing of the Zords_**

( **Flashback** / _Scene: Angel Grove Arcade, City Centre, Angel Grove, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

**Katherine Hilliard was walking down the street with some shopping that her mom needed for the fridge. She and her parents are not long after moving to Angel Grove and Kat already likes the city, she already felt welcome when she met Kimberly Hart and Aisha Campbell. The two already introduced her to their social circle, consisting of handsome and buffed up Rocky DeSantos, the quiet but kind Adam Park and then there was the super smart Billy Cranston. Katherine thought Billy was actually quite cute, she did notice the kind of subtle glances he was giving her, the glasses made him look dorky, but it was an endearing kind of way. Kat could tell Billy has a nice build underneath his clothes, he's just not the type to show off muscles. There was also Tommy Oliver, but Kat knew what boundaries not to cross after Kimberly introduced him as her boyfriend. Kat hoped to have a guy like Tommy, the two were like a match made in heaven or they were destined to be soulmates. Aisha often joked they were in a way. Kat stayed friendly with Tommy, but they kept their friendship as friends, Tommy was just an absolute gentleman; his parents raised him the right way. The Australian blonde from Sydney never thought she would make friends so fast, being that she will be applying for Angel Grove High School shortly. Kat made a note that Aisha was like the mama bear of the close knit group and should one of them be emotionally or physically hurt, Aisha would show no mercy on the offender; that's a side Kat made note of. She does not want to see that side of Aisha. Kimberly… Kimberly is the reason she even feels welcome in this city and at home. The brunette had an aura around that she just loosened and opened up in an instant, but like Kat, Kim knew her boundaries and didn't ask questions that would make her feel uncomfortable. The young teenager in pink has an amazing sense of empathy, something Katherine doesn't see in people often, more often people feel sympathy. Kimberly was just so friendly, even going so far to trust her in meeting her friends, especially her boyfriend. What caught Kat's eye was her new friend's unusual silver necklace, it was beautiful and well kept, the sun's rays danced off it. The necklace was a bird wrapping its wings around a staff, Kat couldn't figure out what it symbolised, but it means something personal to Kim. The Australian wanted to ask, but didn't want to upset or agitate Kim, it sort of clicked that Kimberly must be adopted. However, Kat decided to respect Kim's privacy, since she did the same.**

**Kat was brought out her world when she saw her new friends across the street heading for… the arcade? Weird, neither mentioned being into games and stuff like that, she knew they could shop a whole mall out, but not the arcade. Katherine didn't want to be nosy, but her curiosity got the better of her and so, she crossed the road when it was clear of traffic. After she crossed the street, Kat entered the arcade which was surprisingly bustling, almost as bustling if not more, as Ernie's Youth Centre. Why was there so many people? There must be an event going on, a tournament but what tournament interests Kimberly? She never took the brunette for a gamer. Her new friend is full of surprises, perhaps she was embarrassed to admit she likes video games. Suddenly, someone called out her name.**

**"Kat!?" The blonde twirled around, seeing Aisha. "What brings you here?",**

**"I saw you and Kim enter the arcade. I got curious." She admitted, shot brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. "What's going on? I didn't think Kim liked video games." Aisha chucked,**

**"It's Kimberly's secret hobby. No one knows about it except for myself and now you. Tommy doesn't know either. Consider yourself honoured. " Her friend wearing yellow explained, "As to what's going on, you're in time for a tournament, specifically a Mortal Kombat Tournament; also to celebrate the reopening after The Ooze Incident if you watched the news." Kat grimaced, she did hear about the attack on Angel Grove and is aware it is the home of the Power Rangers. Kat was weary of moving to a city that often gets attacked, but with the Power Rangers patrolling the streets, appearing when needed, she feels safe. Katherine was still in Sydney when the creepy Ooze Man was attacking. "Anyway, there's prize money too, first place gets one-thousand dollars, second place five-hundred and third place two-hundred-and-fifty dollars. Kim is currently champion in the smaller tournaments, but wants to stamp her name on this one too." Katherine was surprised that it is this serious.**

**"Why are you here? Did you enter?" Kat asked Aisha, but only for her to shake her head.**

**"Oh no, I don't game. I come here for support, it used to be dragging me, even by force. Kim went so far to trick me into thinking it was the mall one time. Now, I see how much enjoys it, so it's moral support since the others don't know." She finished, "Want to watch our favourite brunette make the male competitors look like idiots?" Aisha caught Kat by the hand to bring her to the front for a better view, even though Kat is tall, a foot taller than Kimberly. The two of them stopped by the barrier that separated them from the game stall, the competitors and the public. Kat could see Kim, she almost felt bad for her, she was the only female amongst the large number of males who were trying to hit on her. Does that happen often? One of the boys were even wolf whistling her and the two heard her threaten if the poor lad wolf whistled again, she will make him completely infertile.**

**_"Jeez,"_ Kat thought, _"How does she put up with this? Tommy would beat this guy's ass before he would blink."_ Aisha seems to trust Kim, while she may be petite, Tommy told her she is very adept in Martial Arts and is deadly when mixed with her gymnastics. _"Martial Arts and gymnastics, is surely a deadly combination. I don't think Kim would have shame in knocking out the lad."_ When she learned that, Kim promised she could watch her spar with either Aisha, Tommy or Rocky. Billy would sometimes spar, but he is usually hung up on a science project. Shortly, the match began, they had to wait twenty minutes for Kim's turn. She was against the guy who was hitting on her, Aisha and Kat herself couldn't wait for Kim to wreck him; if Aisha proves right that Kim is highly skilled in this very violent game, this game is controversial for its intense violence. While the game wasn't banned in her home country, but others that supposedly released last year but were banned and/or censored, such as _Voyeur_ , _Phantasmagoria_ and _Dreamweb_. Australia's censorship system is very strict, there were some releases, games or films were even rejected censorship. Kat watched on the big screen that looked to be rented for this. Kimberly selected an intimidating character dressed in gold ninja garments and her opponent chose a character with blue eyes and a large hat. The names under them were Scorpion and Raiden, the match was five minutes long, three-hundred seconds and the rest is pretty self-explanatory. She and Aisha heard the guy speak again before the go ahead was given.**

**"I was thinking about our date. Do you like Italian?" If he's trying to be suave, it's really failing. Badly.**

**"The only thing I'll have for our ' _date_ ' is your tears and loss of manhood." Kim threatened and her voice said it all. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as a warning, one would assume it would flash a different colour. Kat was slightly shaking, is this the same girl who introduced her to her friends? Aisha watched with satisfaction when the boy winced at the threat, but he was adamant in getting that date, or so he thinks.**

**"You better get used to Kimberly's tough persona." Aisha advised, "She's not playing around and takes no shit from the boys." Kimberly is being a tough girl alright, there's no way Kat could make those kind of threats. Kim seems to be a completely different person in the arcade, particularly for these tournaments. The match began, Kat went between looking at Kimberly herself, then the screen. She was amazed… astonished would be the better word, Kim controlled her character with expertise like it was second nature; she knew the characters and their moves. The poor lad was already down to half his health bar and they were only two minutes into the match. The crowd was going wild, some of the public were actually chanting Kim's name, she must be a favourite here. The game finished as quickly as it started, as Kim inputed the commands to make her character perform its signature finisher. The crowd and even Aisha erupted as Kim beat her first opponent, allowing her to move onto the next stage.**

**"I was distracted!" He sputtered, lamely.**

**"So they say." Kim muttered and walked off to allow the next pair competitors compete. There was a break in between once a stage finished, Kat has been in the arcade for an hour and is actually having fun watching Kim play the game. Aisha came back with a coke for her, which she accepted.**

**"Enjoying yourself?" Aisha asked,**

**"I am actually. It still surprises me that Kimberly likes, no, loves video games." Kat stopped to sip her drink. "Why won't she tell the others?",**

**"She's… kind of embarrassed about it. Everyone stereotypically assumes that video games are boy's interests, well, she's proving them wrong." The Yellow Ranger, that Kat doesn't know, replied. "Kim likes to come here to practice as well, very friendly with the owner here and sometimes gives her unlimited access to the game booth. He sometimes rings to let her know of an upcoming tournament if she doesn't see the flyers. If I recall correctly, the owner is actually Ernie's brother-in-law.",**

**"It really is a small world." Kat pondered. Shortly, the competition resumed and before they knew it, Kim actually reached the final stage after beating her last opponent, putting him in third place. At least he seemed happy with claiming the two-hundred-and-fifty dollar prize money, it appears Kim earned his respect. Now, it was the final, the game that will decide who will place first and second. Like all the previous rounds this round also lasts five minutes, but time doesn't seem to matter to the players, skill does. The match began and to Aisha's, even Kat's worry, this bloke was equally skilled as Kimberly. The game was tense, three minutes were already gone and both health bars on either side were roughly ten percent, Kat knew if Kim makes one mistake then she'll lose the game. That was when her new friend noticed her opponent's slip up and she had no shame in taking advantage of it, making her character punch its enemy, followed by a side kick-sweep kick combination and no fancy finishers were used. The opponent was down for the count. Kimberly and the male competitor shook hands, congratulating each other. _"At least this guy has better manners than the other few. He actually respects her."_ The owner of the arcade walked up to them and announced the first place winner of the tournament, handing a cheque and doing the same with the second and third place winners. It was then followed up with her name being placed on a large board, amongst other winners in similar tournaments. The only girl whose name is amongst the list past lads.**

**Kat decided to sneak out before Kim spotted her, telling Aisha she has to return home. She also promises that Kim's secret is safe with her. Saying goodbye to her friend Aisha, Kat left the arcade after seeing a different side of her new friend, a no nonsense side of Kimberly. It was actually funny to see her down talking the boys, she couldn't believe this was the same kindhearted person. Well, there are two sides of the same coin.**

( **Flashback Ends** )

"Curiosity is going to kill the KAT, one day." Dr. Hart growled, glaring at Billy's wife, who was smiling so innocently. Kim was tempted to knock some of her pearly whites out, but Billy won't appreciate that. The group were having another laughing fit, Kim swears that her friends are primarily here to wreck her reputation.

"And, her name is still on that billboard to this day, in the very same arcade." Kat finished. Mack looked at his team, they were thinking what he was thinking.

"We have to see that when this is over." They all nodded in agreement.

"There is nothing to see." Kim groaned. "Actually, if you don't mind, I really need to head to the rest room." Tommy stood up to allow his wife out so she can head to the bathroom. Once their mentor left, the young rangers were still laughing, still trying to comprehend that Dr. Hart was a bit of a dork in her youth and she would sometimes be so serious around them. It's actually great that they are hearing stories about a different side of her, it made Kira hum in agreement. It was the same when she heard the stories about Dr. Oliver, the two were the best teachers she ever had in her final year and so was Mr. Callaghan, Dr. Hart's cousin. She finds it is a shame that her former Maths Teacher couldn't be here, even to see his cousin. Apparently, Cassie told her that her boyfriend has decided to work on getting a PhD, he already has a Masters and is in the middle of cracking one of the Millennium Prize Problems. Mr. Callaghan is working on cracking the _P versus NP_ problem that, once solved, will make big contributions for computer scientists. He is also looking at the _Hodge Conjecture_ , so really he is solving two problems. There is a reward of one million dollars to the solver and because of his Eltarian background which will remain absolutely unknown, he may have an edge over his peers. Fellow mathematicians think he is crazy trying to solve two of the Millennium Prize Problems, but in her gut and Cassie's, they know he'll prove them wrong. The banter was suddenly interrupted when Ronny's and Rocky's stomachs growled, making them go red. Of course, the stomachs had to belong to the two human garbage disposals. Since Rose so happened to be on the outside, she volunteered to get more chips for the gang. Tommy pulled out his wallet to give Rose some cash, but Andrew insisted he pay. Kimberly's husband continued to object, but in the end, he gave in, letting Andrew win the argument. Rose took the fifty dollars off Andrew to get four portion of chips, to cater for the bottomless pits and headed for the bar counter.

Rose approached the young man at the counter, cleaning glassware and asked if she could have four portions of chips. With the order taken, Rose decided to wait after she got the change back. The barman got back to his regular work and this went on undisturbed until another young lad leaned against the counter beside her, flashing the best, cute smile he could muster. He looked to be either fresh out of university or a final year undergraduate. Rose smiled back politely, but paid no heed to him until he spoke.

"Hey there. Name's Clark, it's not everyday to see cute chicks like you around these parts.",

"Nice to meet you, Clark. Honestly, I rather be left alone." Clark straightened up, whistling, not expecting a reply like that. Though, he quickly recovered, thinking Rose was playing hard to get.

"Spunky aren't we." He got in a little closer to Rose's personal space and she did not like that, fighting against the movement to lean back. "I like women with spunk. Say, why don't I buy us a few drinks and maybe, we can have a good time together?" Rose tried not to roll her eyes, but this guy doesn't get the hint that she is not interested. She should have taken Ronny or even Mack with her. He then placed his hand on Rose's wrist, causing her ranger reflexes to kick in, as she ripped her hand away from him; surprising the guy. Although, he just smiled. "Come on, women always say I'm quite the… cowboy if you catch my drift." Just when Rose was about to counter, someone else spoke.

"You won't be lassoing any women into bed tonight." Said a voice from behind and it was one that Rose recognised. Clark turned around, to face a petite brunette with a fierce glare on her face.

"What the fu-" Before he could finish his sentence, Clark was suddenly lifted into the air, his brain mildly processing the strength of the petite woman and was flung over the bar counter; hitting the floor with a crash.

"CLARK!" One of his friends screamed, running towards them. Dr. Hart pushed Rose to the side and soon enough, chaos ensued. Rose looked at her mentor in surprise that she blatantly started a bar fight, it wasn't long for her gang to come running, in an attempt to break up the fight; especially Tommy.

"Rocky wasn't kidding." She muttered, as she heard Dr. Hart's husband and friends, primarily Billy, Kat and Rocky; telling her to stop and cool it. The rest of the Overdrive Rangers were trying to comprehend how a simple task to order four portion of chips, turned to an all out brawl between their mentor and a random bunch of poor lads with little training in Self-defence or Martial Arts. It clearly was an unfair fight and honestly felt bad for them. Andrew, Hayley and Kira just stood there blankly, unsure what to do, get involved, call the police or help break up the fight. There was one thing they all knew: this is going to be a long night.

_ 22:00… _

( _Scene: Hartford Mansion, San Angeles, California, Earth_ / _No POV_ )

Everyone was glad to be back at the mansion after things at the bar got slightly chaotic for the lack of a better word, or putting it very lightly. Rose, the youngest of the group was being harassed by a random bloke who looked to be not long out of university or is in his final year and was hitting on the Pink Ranger. While Rose can deal with people herself, she wanted to avoid bringing attention onto herself and not start a fight, therefore, her only option was to verbally get out of her situation. That tactic sadly backfired as the guy was too thick to read her body language or her voice, he was even getting a little too close to her personal space. All she wanted was to order another portion of chips for the group and before she could count to five, Dr. Hart came to her rescue and held no qualms in tossing the bloke who's twice her height over the bar counter. It's no surprise her military training on Eltar gave her impressive strength, but Dr. Hart is stronger than the normal human because of her genes and heritage. Now, she's stronger than the average human, not talking Superman strength. Then the guy's friends came to his rescue and a bar fight broke out. It caused the entire gang to leap, Rose was already pulled to the side by Dr. Hart, while the others attempted to separate Kim and the men. It took them thirty minutes to get Tommy's wife away from them, not after she gave them a nice bruise and probably very sore muscles and possibly a cracked rib or two, plus a concussion. They will think twice to approach a girl now. It was thankful that the bar manager was lenient on the whole situation, he saw the security footage the bloke was harassing Rose, so Kimberly's actions were justified, even though she acted first and chose not to call the police. It made things a lot less messy. Andrew offered to pay for whatever damage was done and apologised for his assistant researcher's behaviour.

Now, here they are, on the other side of Andrew's office, listening to the argument between Tommy and Kimberly. It sounded exactly like the fight they had when they were under the rivalry spell. Billy, Rocky, Kat and Kira were face palming, Mímir was actually too scared to get in between the two to calm them and he was assigned as mediator ever since his move from Midgard; also known as Earth-10. Hayley was on Mímir's side, not wanting to be involved, she remembered being thrown into a situation like this, was when Tommy, Kim and Aegis spent fifteen minutes arguing that the fellow pink should stay behind during the whole Earth-X scenario. She was unwillingly thrown in because the three demanded to her on who was in the right. It actually gave her a headache, and this is no different. Rex sat beside her whining, he never liked it when Kim was yelling. Tommy wasn't helping either as he stood up to his wife. That was when words were spoken again and they could hear it right through the door. Andrew was now considering how much it would cost to get a soundproof door; he can easily afford one or build one himself. It was Kimberly speaking first.

"It was a split second decision, Tommy! There wasn't exactly a time to think!" She yelled,

"Since when do you ever think in situations like this!?" Argued Tommy, "Never! You're lucky you are not spending the night in a prison cell!",

"That fucking eejit could not read Rose's body language or the fact she didn't want him advancing any closer. He even made suggestions about wanting to have sex with her!" Kim defended. Rose kind of blushed at her mentor's surprising bluntness, it's true, she can't deny that Clark guy was being… very sexually suggestive to her. He didn't even realise that she is technically, by law, underage and being the youngest of the Overdrive family. "I just gave him the explanation in a more direct approach.",

"By starting a bar fight?" The four-time ranger snorted, "Typical, typical blockheaded Kimberly behaviour." Rocky and Billy's jaw dropped upon hearing those words. Did Tommy actually say that to Kimberly's face!? The two Ninjetti could feel their Animal Spirits: Loki and Daedalus cringing, while being poked and prodded by Kek and Artemis, who are wondering what's going; and why Rhea and Caesar are arguing. The Bear and Frog Spirits felt like chop liver because no one would tell them what's going on. They can even hear the angered and annoyed screech of the Crane and the Falcon as their champions fought.

"Who's a blockhead!?" The Pink, now Green Ranger growled,

"You are!",

"Firing back words I used twelve years ago?" Their mentor countered, "With your Swiss cheese brain, I'm amazed you even remembered that far back Mr. PhD in Palaeontology." The Overdrive Rangers felt like sneaking off to their rooms upstairs, were arguments between Dr. Hart and her husband always this… verbally combative? The level of snark Kim is showing is certainly turned to the highest level it can go, if words were fire, there would certainly be a blaze burning down the office. Kat was looking at Hayley, wondering if they should break the couple to cool off, the ranger technician could read Kat's mind; but before anyone did something, both Dr. Hart and Dr. Oliver exclaimed at the same time:

"Outside! Spar, now!" And that's the last straw as the older, veteran rangers groaned. That is usually a bad idea and they genuinely feel bad for Andrew. Mímir saw their expressions and tried to reassure them.

"They're burning off steam. What's the worst that can happen?" The Rememberer watched Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor spar; it can't be that bad between a human and an Eltarian, plus both are experienced Power Rangers. Billy, Rocky, Kat and Kira turned to Mímir with almost haunted looks on their faces, which kind of creeped the kids, even Andrew and Spencer out. Rocky put it in perspective for them.

"Picture the fight Kim had against Thrax and multiply that by a thousand." The young rangers cringed, Andrew on the other hand was dreading the fact there might not be anything left of his garden after Kim spars with her husband. His mother loved that garden, she was the gardener in the family, God have mercy on her soul; should anything happen, he will be put them through the ringer when they meet again. "It's ten-fold when their alter egos fight." He added. Billy still remembered that fight when Firebird got out the second time. Tommy got angry enough that Dragon came out to pull the reigns and the fight between the two was… explosive. One would swear they are demigods or something out of a superhero film, except, Dragon is an antihero. If pushed far enough, Dragon could cause the same amount of damage Firebird did two years ago. Tommy and Kim, with their normal powers can reach levels even their friends might not be able to tap into, but that power, the darker side of their powers increase even more when their alter egos come out to play. The two are literal embodiment of the phrase: ' _Two sides of the same coin_ '. Everyone swore they never want to face an evil Tommy and Kimberly again, the worst time when Dragon got out, was when Tommy was kidnapped and brainwashed by Prince Gasket. It was a bad mistake on his part, but Kat managed to get through to him and Dragon returned to his slumber.

Everyone jolted away from the door as it opened, seeing the infamous Power Couple storm out, jackets off, heading out to the garden. Mack asked if someone should referee, but Rocky advised a referee would not be needed. The two spar long enough until they vented, it's not often they do it; they know how destructive they can get and have tried to tone it down. It usually fails though and when they spar in the woods, they end up sending a couple of trees to timber! The whole gang followed their mentor and her husband out to the back garden, Billy and Rocky profusely apologising should anything happen to Andrew's garden; Billy offered any damage that occurs, he will pay for in full. The perks of being a millionaire, but he's not far away from achieving the status of billionaire. Kim has compared her smart friend and his wife Kat to be just like her biological parents Zordon and Aria, when asked how, she explained that her parents; despite their controversial marriage have a pretty high status in the social ladder. Being the Grand Sage, former Falcon Ninjetti, along with being the Crane Ninjetti and Commander of the Eltarian Army, it makes them a powerful family. Despite their titles, they didn't leave it get to their heads, Aria told her daughter that she was adamant to raise her to respect everyone and not judge them for their titles, to just be kind to everyone. Titles are meaningless and an egotistical boast, it is why her parents chose to live among the middle working class, in a small, but warm, and comfortable home. Kat and Billy are exactly like that, they live in Angel Grove, but own a decently sized detached house, big enough if they ever wish to have children and not a large, extravagant and cold mansion. It made the two rangers feel proud their close friend compared them to her parents. All the former rangers hope Zordon is being treated well in the afterlife, his passing still feels raw to Kim.

Anyway, back to the main issue at hand, by the time they all stepped outside; Rex included, Kim and Tommy were engaged in what appears to be an equivalent of a street fight or a no holds sparring match. Rocky wasn't exaggerating when the couple spar if their arguments hit boiling point, where words don't simply cut it and they resort to their fists. While Tommy is a bit of tank, but moving swiftly, he wasn't as swift as Dr. Hart, who practically danced around him. Billy and Rocky finally copped on to the slight change or variance in Kimberly's fighting style, she was light on her feet, but she was getting in some hard hits, less gymnastics being thrown in and the Green Ranger was keeping her feet to the ground. Her fighting style was a lot more grounded, more controlled and mixed with a small bit of aggression. They both wondered what skills she learned while she served in the Eltarian Army. Tommy struck out with a fist, only to leave him open, allowing Kim to counter with a hard uppercut into his ribs, but keeping her strength in control. Everyone winced, hearing Tommy gasp for air when his lungs got the shock of their lives and since his centre of gravity was pushed forward, she followed it up with an Ippon Seoinage or a One Arm Shoulder Throw. Unprepared for his wife's impressive strength, Tommy felt himself being lifted off his feet and before he could mentally count to five, he hit the ground flat on his back, hard, rattling his lungs once more. Pulling him forward by the cuff of his shirt, it was clear Dr. Hart was in control of the fight. Ronny leaned towards Kat and whispered into her ear.

"Should we be worried?" Kat answered back,

"Don't worry, they'll know when to stop." The newest Yellow Ranger let out a quiet, nervous laugh. She wasn't sure how the veteran rangers could be so calm, if that was her, honestly she'd be screaming for help. Her mentor is a fighting machine! Turning back, she saw Dr. Hart pull her husband forward, locking her right arm around his neck, catching her other wrist. Using her weight, the Overdrive mentor leaned to the side, making Tommy's head feel the ground and wrapped her leg around his back. Rocky was sputtering because he was wondering when and where did his little sister learn Brazilian Jiujitsu? He well recognised this lock, but it wasn't just a lock, it was a chokehold. Those practicing this form of Martial Arts call it the Guillotine Choke, it's name is pretty self-explanatory in the technique. Kimberly tightened her grip around her husband's neck, almost cutting off his airways, by no means was she trying to kill her beloved husband, but she's showing him who's the top fighter in this marriage. Tommy on the other hand, was not enjoying his position as his wife choked him, desperate to be released, Tommy smacked his hand on Kimberly's back, as a signal to say ' _I yield_ '! Feeling the tapping, Kim knew that Tommy wanted to be released. Letting him go, they both stood up after venting, now both sides can think clearly. Kim was first to speak.

"You were right. I do have a tendency to act before I think." She started, "There was a more peaceful way to deescalate Rose's scenario. I guess I've spent too much time with my soldiers back home." Tommy smirked a little,

"And I should have not gone off on you like that. You were protecting not just your own ranger, but a member of your family." Her husband paused for a moment. "Maybe we should reinstate Rule Two again? Never instigate a fight, unless your opponent forces you to." The couple both chuckled. "I'm glad you accept your error. Let's put it behind us." After some reconciliation, the two Original Rangers kissed, then held each other in a hug. Kimberly's Overdrive Rangers just dropped their jaws, one minute they were verbally arguing that could be heard for miles, then nearly pummelling each other, the next, they're cuddling! It's like going from one extreme to the other!

"What the hell!?" Exclaimed Will, making the older rangers laugh. Hayley decided to explain.

"That's the Tommy-Kimberly dynamic in full glory. Slow to anger and quick to forgive, even if their insane sparring matches are thrown into the equation." Her words did not fall from their ears.

"HEY!" Ignoring them, she continued her explanation.

"Sparring is just a way for both of them to vent, so that they can clear their minds. By the end of it, they can think more clearly and be less typical blockheads.",

"ASSHOLE!",

"I swear their marriage is either a curse or the worst thing some higher power could bring into existence, let alone allow. Dr. O and Dr. H are so unconventional." Kira muttered, well knowing their antics since they got married last year. Herself, Conor, Ethan and her boyfriend Trent were invited, along with all the other past rangers. Her aunt, Dulcea of Phaedos, going by Diana Prince, came as well for the Earth celebration; not long after they married by Eltar's customs.

"I won't be surprised if these two rangers start this world's own version of Ragnarök." Mímir added. "Oh wait! That did happen on Earth-X3." Upon hearing that, everyone looked at Mímir, all wondering if he actually implied that there's an Earth that has an evil version of Tommy and Kimberly, controlling the planet as evil ranger dictators, together. Mímir turned to them all. "Be glad they haven't figured out there's a Multiverse." Deciding not to broach the topic any further, because God knows what variations are out there with all these multiple Earths. Dr. Hart wonders why The Morphin' Masters came to the idea of creating a Multiverse, was it the need for balance? When they could have created a perfect single Earth? Who knows. Kim and Tommy walked back up the group, that was when Mack decided to speak.

"This was a challenge for us all. We lost our powers, got our asses kicked by Thrax, went through our own journeys and in the end, we still came out on top." Kim was about to counter Mack, because she still feels guilty about taking the life of Rita's son. It was clear she still loved him, but he was too angry to see that, however, Mack stopped her. "You did what had to be done, Dr. Hart. Thrax was far from reasoning, even by his own mother. To be fair, the ranger world is probably a better place with Mystic Mother in it. Please don't blame yourself." All Dr. Hart could do was smile, as she stared at Mack. He's growing up and learning, it seems like some the things he has seen her do, has made him realise that the world is a beautiful, but cruel planet.

"Looks like you, young man have found your equilibrium." The Overdrive Rangers looked at Mímir confusingly, unsure of what he actually meant, it made the veterans chuckle, so Billy explained.

"He means Mack, that you speak wisely." The Red Ranger blushed a little.

"Um… thanks?" Which came out more of a question than gratitude. Wordlessly, he put his hand out and everyone, even Kim knew what he wanted to do and it was just the Overdrive team. Tommy stood beside Billy, Rocky, Kat and Kira. The four-time Original Ranger was reminded of the time his own team did this, upon his return as the White Tigerzord Ranger and then the second time when Kim stepped down from the team, when they were tricked into thinking she was going to France. They listened to them count from one.

"One, two, three!" The all lifted their hands into the air. "POWER RANGERS!",

 _"Once a ranger, always a ranger."_ Tommy thought proudly, looking his wife and her team, the team she mentoring. It amazed him how much she grew and matured, but other than that, he was proud of his Pink Crane.

* * *

Next Time…

Kimberly was thrown into the air, after being ambushed by both Kamdor and Miratrix. Suddenly, she felt something sharp pierce her side, probably by pure luck, missed her vital organs, but it still hurt like hell. With the damage done and assuming she won't survive, her enemies left her to die, as the blood seeped through her clothes, soaking her hand…

"The barrier is weak.",

"Now's your chance.",

"Concentrate on the barrier and focus." A fist punched through the invisible barrier, like it was made of glass and creating a Grid Tear…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, Once a Ranger arc is finished and I am finally bringing back Kimberly's father. If you like the story hit the Follow and Favourite to be updated quickly on a chapter. If you have something say, leave a review.
> 
> Again, apologies for the delay and my Writer's Block. Hopefully, Chapter 10 should flow better. Thank you for being patient and bearing with me.
> 
> Until next time!


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